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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/28067223">Dancing With Kuvira</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/xMRKx/pseuds/xMRKx'>xMRKx</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Series:</b></td><td>Until The End of Time [1]</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Avatar: Legend of Korra</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Earth Kingdom (Avatar), F/F, F/M, Fluff, Friends to Lovers, Gen, Headcanon, Metal Clan, Romance, Slow Burn, Strangers to Lovers, Zaofu, dancing with kuvira, kuvira in love, kyalin - Freeform, protective!Kuvira, soft!Kuvira</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>In-Progress</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-12-16</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2021-05-04</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-10 17:02:06</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>Teen And Up Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>No Archive Warnings Apply</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>21</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>61,357</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/28067223</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/xMRKx/pseuds/xMRKx</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>Y/n has been observing Kuvira for years and she has come to the conclusion that Kuvira doesn't really have any friends besides the Beifong family. She can also see that the tall, gorgeous woman is lonely. </p><p>There is a reason why Y/n never got to talk with Kuvira. She has assured herself that Kuvira won't like her and her words will just scare her away. But Kuvira gets promoted and they won't be training together after the year changes. Since Y/n has an unsure future, she decides that this is the time to risk it all, before she runs out of time. </p><p> *Current posting schedule: New chapter will be publishef whenever I have time! For more updates, follow my tumblr  <a href="https://kuviras-btch.tumblr.com/">Kuviras-btch</a>*</p><p>*English isn't my first language so there might be some typos and grammar mistakes*</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Kuvira (Avatar)/Reader</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Series:</b></td><td>Until The End of Time [1]</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Series URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/series/2111358</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>64</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>117</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>1. Chapter 1</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>Last time edited: 18.2.2021</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Kuvira seems to be one of those people, who terrifies a lot of people, but who is respected and adored by many. Whenever she is seen around Zaofu, she is either all by herself, with the Beifong family or talking to other guards. She has been promoted to become a full-time guard, but she has until the year changes to live her normal life. But seeing Kuvira so much alone has gotten Y/n to wonder if she has other friends besides the Beifong siblings. To her, Kuvira seems lonely.</p><p>"Kuvira, hold up!" Y/n says, as Kuvira is about to leave the training area for a break. The tall woman turns around to look at Y/n with a confused look on her face. She crosses her arms and shifts the weight of her body to her other leg, waiting for Y/n to speak.</p><p>But Y/n doesn't speak up, until the last person leaves the area. "So, uh. I was thinking... Would you like to... I don't know, hang out sometime? Maybe even today?" Y/n asks with a shaking voice. She notices that Kuvira relaxes a little and a smile curves on her lips.</p><p>"That's nice of you to ask. But I am afraid that I don't have enough time to hang out with people," she answers, and her words disappoint Y/n. She doesn't know what to respond, so she just stays silent and lies her eyes on the ground, not wanting to look at Kuvira. She is ready to leave but Kuvira gently grabs her arm and stops her. "But I don't think that one time will do any harm," she says with her gentle, husky voice.</p><p>Y/n takes a step back to face Kuvira and her beautiful, green eyes. She smiles and lets out a chuckle. "Great! See you at seven by the river?" She asks and Kuvira nods as a yes. She then let’s go of Y/n's arm and walks out of the training area, leaving Y/n standing there alone.</p><p>Blood rushes to Y/n's face, as she jumps around in excitement, her heart pounding like crazy. She is smiling so hard that her cheeks start hurting. She is excited that she finally had the courage to talk to Kuvira and ask her to hang out with her.</p><p>On her way to the river, Y/n spots a beautiful blue flower on the ground. She smiles and leans over to pick it up. She admires it and carries it with her to the river, where Kuvira is already waiting for her. The woman is standing with her hands behind her back, looking at the sun that is setting behind the mountains.</p><p>Kuvira can hear Y/n coming, so she turns around and gives her a gentle smile. The sun hits her tan skin, giving it a beautiful orange tint. She seems even more stunning if that is possible. Her hair is down, and she is wearing a casual version of the Zaofu robes with a simple silver bracelet around her wrist.</p><p>"Hi", Kuvira greets her and takes a step forward. Kuvira notices the flower Y/n is carrying and points at it. "That is a pretty flower," she points out. Y/n eyes the flower in her hand and then brings her eyes to Kuvira's.</p><p>"Do you want it? I found it on my way here, I'm sure there are more growing nearby." Y/n hands the flower to Kuvira, who accepts it and holds it with gentle hands, as if it would break in her hands if she wasn't careful. Kuvira smiles as she studies the flower.</p><p>They sit down on the ground and look at the sun in silence, waiting for either one to break the moment of silence. Then Kuvira speaks up. "You know, I don't really hang out with people. But I must admit, this is refreshing to be outside with someone who isn't living in the same house with me," she explains, and her words make Y/n look at the woman, who is sitting next to her.</p><p>Kuvira's words bring a smile to Y/n's face. "I'm glad you like this. I like this too." Y/n lets out a sigh and then falls on her back, Kuvira following her example. They look at the clouds that are passing by on the sky that is filled with different shades of blue, purple, and pink. "Maybe we can do this again... If you're fine with it," Y/n suggests quietly, hoping to hear a yes.</p><p>Kuvira thinks about her words for a while before she answers the question. "I will become a guard after the year changes, meaning that I won't have much free time anymore. And I want to do things that I haven't done or that I don't get to do often," she starts out and turns her head slightly to face Y/n. "So yes, I think we can do this again sometime."</p><p>Her answer makes Y/n happy and she rolls over to her stomach, so that she can see Kuvira's face better. "Sounds great. Now, let's go for a walk," she says and gets up from the ground, helping Kuvira up. They head towards the gardens behind the big buildings.</p><p>When they walk around the garden, Y/n learns a lot about Kuvira. Apparently, she is mostly by herself because she is focusing on getting the career she is aiming for and making Suyin happy. She explained to her that Suyin is like a mother-figure to her. Kuvira does admit that she doesn't really have other friends besides the Beifong family and some guards she has been training with. "When I was younger, I used to collect all kinds of rocks. I still have them, it never felt right to throw them away. I used to practise earth bending with them," Kuvira reveals and adds a little laugh. "Okay, enough of me. I want to know more about you. I have seen you around Zaofu, but I know nothing about you. Not even your name!"</p><p>"Oh, my name is Y/n," Y/n laughs and they stop to sit down on the grass in the garden. "Well, uhm, I was abandoned by my biological parents when I was around two years old. Suyin took me in, just like she did with you. I remember the day when she took you in... After a few years of me being here under Suyin's care, I was adopted. My adoptive parents, who I just call my real parents, own the little jewelry shop near the training area," Y/n explains and Kuvira realizes that they are not so different after all. "I have been in this metal... City, my whole life and I have never seen the outside-world, but I'd like to experience it. Even just once," she whispers and looks down at the grass she is playing with.</p><p>Kuvira turns to look at Y/n. She understands what she means, but she doesn't feel the same way. She is glad that she was able to grow up in a place, where she was guaranteed to be safe and where she was wanted and understood. She doesn't really miss the outside world.</p><p>The sun has set, and it is time to close Zaofu. Lights turn on around the city and the garden gets darker. More guards are around, and they are ready to escort home those who live in different parts of the city.</p><p>"Do you want to go on an adventure with me someday?" Y/n asks suddenly and then turns to face Kuvira. She is confused by the question, but quickly connects Y/n's question to what she had said earlier. She jumps off the ground, shaking her head.</p><p>"I'm sorry, y/n, but I can't risk my career for a stupid adventure. You shouldn't even be thinking about it. Su wouldn't like it," Kuvira answers. Y/n stands up too and looks straight to Kuvira's eyes. What she said hurt her feelings for some reason, making her stomach twist and her heart ache.</p><p>"I don't care about Su since she doesn't care about me. This isn't about her. And you said that you want to experience things you haven't before you won't be able to, so I thought you would want to come with me... But fine, I'll go on my <em>stupid</em> adventure all by myself," Y/n says out of anger and starts walking away. "Good night, Kuvira." She exits the garden and leaves Kuvira all by herself in the dark.</p><p>Kuvira regrets what she said, but she thinks it's too late to take it back. So, she stands in the dark, holding the flower she got from Y/n and sighs.</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>Hello! I hope you enjoyed this chapter. </p><p>If you want updates regarding my story and don't mind other random stuff, follow me on Tumblr:  <a href="https://kuviras-btch.tumblr.com/">Kuviras-btch</a></p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0002"><h2>2. Chapter 2</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>Trigger warning; mentions of death</p><p>Last time edited: 18.2.2021</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Kuvira is nervously standing outside the training area, waiting for Y/n to show up. She didn't sleep at all last night, because she was thinking about what she said and how she hurt Y/n. She wants to apologize and hopefully save their starting friendship.</p><p>But she doesn't show up. Kuvira is pacing around, breathing heavily and she can feel how her heart pounds harder against her chest, like it wants to get out. She wants to wait a little longer, but someone calls her name and reminds her that the lesson is about to start. Kuvira takes a last look around, before she heads to the training grounds.</p><p>When Suyin gets to the training area, everyone greets her. She looks around the training area with a smile on her face, checking if everyone's there. Her smile fades away when she realizes that someone is missing.</p><p>"Has anyone seen Y/n? Does anyone know if she'll be coming today?" Suyin asks and looks at everyone one by one. No one answers her. Suyin then makes eye contact with Kuvira, who is standing in the back. She raises her eyebrows at the younger woman, as if she was asking if Kuvira knew anything. Kuvira hesitates and then shakes her head, as a no.</p><p>Su lets out a sigh. "Do some warmups. I'll be back in a minute," She instructs and then leaves the training grounds. Kuvira follows Suyin with her eyes and watches as she walks down the hill, towards Y/n's parents’ house. Kuvira can feel a small lump grow in her throat but she tries to shake the feeling off by starting to do some warmups, like Suyin had instructed.</p><p>After 20 minutes pass, Su comes back. She seems relieved, so Kuvira decides to go ask if Y/n's ok. "Did you go to Y/n's place? Is she ok?" She asks when she gets to Suyin.</p><p>The older woman turns around to look at Kuvira. She smiles and places her hand on Kuvira's cheek. "Yes. She is staying over at her parents' place for a while. She is sick and she needs to rest. I sent the doctor to go and check on her," Suyin tells Kuvira, who then lets out a relieved sigh. "How do you and Y/n even know each other? I mean yes you are in this class together, but you two never interact with each other."</p><p>Kuvira clears her throat and then looks away for a second. "We hung out yesterday. That's why I came home so late. I was kind of hoping to see her today, but she didn't show up. For a second I thought that I had made her up in my head and that she wasn't real."</p><p>"You were with her yesterday? Were you close or... did you touch each other? Did you give anything to her?" Suyin starts asking questions and they make Kuvira very confused.</p><p>"What? Why would you ask that? We were just talking and walking around. We didn't touch each other or anything. Why are you freaking out?" Kuvira asks.</p><p>Suyin pinches the bridge of her nose and sighs. "Nothing. We should start our lesson. Get back to your position," Suyin says and walks away from Kuvira. Kuvira just stands there, feeling confused. She turns around to look at Su, who walks around the training ground, telling people what they are supposed to be doing. Kuvira goes to her corner and starts to do the positions that she already knows.</p><p>Kuvira is starting to feel like she doesn't have control over her emotions. This situation makes her confused and all the thoughts are messing around with her head. She wants to understand the situation, but she doesn't get a grip of anything. She can feel the ground below her cracking due to her lack of control over her emotions and thoughts. She takes a deep breath and closes her eyes. She takes her own time to calm down and when she opens her eyes, Su is standing in front of her. She takes a few steps closer to Kuvira and stops what she is doing. Kuvira straightens her back to a normal standing position and avoids Suyin's eyes.</p><p>The older woman puts her hand on Kuvira's long braided hair and strokes it. "You're okay... You just need to remember to breathe," Suyin whispers. Kuvira hates it, when Suyin strokes her hair, especially in public. It just reminds Kuvira that she has never been able to control her own emotions without someone helping her through it. Suyin used to stroke Kuvira's hair and talk to her when she was a kid. Kuvira doesn't want to feel like a helpless kid anymore, so she pushes Suyin's arm away and continues her metal bending.</p><p>Kuvira hesitates for a second, before she knocks on the door of Y/n's parents’ house. She waits for a while, before someone opens the door. At the door there is an older woman standing, so Kuvira assumes that she is Y/n's mother. Kuvira bows, before she greets the older woman. "Hi, I am Kuvira, a friend of Y/n's. I heard that she is staying here. Is it ok if I come in to check on her?" Kuvira asks and smiles. She tries to control her shaking voice and keep an eye contact with Y/n's mother. The woman smiles brightly and nods happily.</p><p>"Of course. It's always nice to see Y/n's friends. Come on in," she says and lets Kuvira in. She then leads her to Y/n's room and knocks on the door gently. "Y/n honey, your friend Kuvira is here to see you," she announces, before stepping away from the door and signing that Kuvira can go in. Kuvira thanks the woman, before she opens the door and enters the room. She closes the door behind her and then looks around.</p><p>The room is dark. No lights are on and the curtains are closed. Kuvira can't see a thing. She walks over to the window and opens the curtains enough to be able to see around the room. Then she spots Y/n, who is lying on the bed, under many blankets. Her back is facing Kuvira.</p><p>Kuvira looks at her for a while, before walking to the bed and carefully sitting on the edge of it. She clasps her own hands and lets them rest on her lap. She is afraid to say anything to the other woman and worried that she'll just hurt her even more.</p><p>"You didn't show up today. I was waiting for you," Kuvira breaks the silence with her shaking voice. Y/n rolls over to her other side, so that she can look at Kuvira, who seems to be nervous. Y/n lets out a sigh and sits up. Kuvira is afraid to look at her.</p><p>"Yeah. Su came to look for me and my parents told her that I am sick," Y/n answers Kuvira's question with a raspy voice, which makes Kuvira face Y/n and realize that she is actually sick.</p><p>Kuvira thinks her words through carefully, before opening her mouth. "Are you ok? Su seemed to be worried about you," she says, and Y/n smiles slightly. "I thought that you didn't show up today... because of what I said yesterday. About the adventure," she adds carefully and lies her eyes back at her hands again.</p><p>Y/n lets out a chuckle and rubs her tired eyes. "No, I'm fine. I just get sick very easily. I mean, I am always sick, sometimes it's just worse. I have a weak immune system. Basically, a normal fever or a flu could kill me," Y/n says it so casually that it makes Kuvira turn her head towards Y/n again. Y/n's eyes meet Kuvira's widened, worried eyes. "Oh, but it's nothing serious. I see the doctor every week and I have a medicine that I take every day. I must be careful around other people because I might catch some bacteria that my body isn't used to. But it's under control, so please don't freak out like Su does sometimes."</p><p>"Y/n, that is something you should've told me yesterday! What if I was sick and now, you're sick because of me?" Kuvira lets out a frustrated sigh and gets up from the bed. She paces around the room, trying to understand the situation. "You should be treated by a healer! From a water tribe. You can't just let some dumb doctors treat you and give you some pills to take. We need to talk to Su about this. Her sister's wife is a healer, and we could go to Republic City to get you treated. Seriously, I can't believe tha-"</p><p>"Kuvira, calm down, please," Y/n interrupts Kuvira's rant and gets out of her bed. She walks over to Kuvira and holds her hands. She looks at Kuvira's eyes with a gentle look and smiles. Kuvira seems to relax but Y/n can sense that Kuvira is still stressed out. "I haven't seen Kya because Su doesn't want me to risk my health. She knows that I could get sick on my way there. And she doesn't want that to happen. The pills I take aren't the best, but I can do fine with them," she tells Kuvira, who holds Y/n's hands tighter. "I've been sick my whole life. We have tried everything, except for spirit water. But Su said that it wouldn't make any difference in my health. And I don't really care, because if I die, then so what? We all die in the end. That's how life works."</p><p>Kuvira shakes her head in disbelief and looks away from Y/n's eyes. "We can ask her to come here. I don't want to throw away the idea of you getting better. How can you be so sure that the spirit water won't help?" Kuvira asks and let's go of Y/n's hands and starts pacing around the room again.</p><p>"Why do you even care, Kuvira? You've known me for less than 24 hours and you didn't even know my name before last night. Why does it bother you so much if I die?" Y/n asks.</p><p>Kuvira stops and looks at Y/n from across the dark room. She doesn't know how to respond to that because everything she said is true. She doesn't even know this girl and she is worrying about her well-being as if they've known each other for years.</p><p>Kuvira doesn't feel good, so she sits on the bed and covers her face with her hands. She closes her eyes and tries to calm down her breath, before answering.</p><p>Y/n looks at Kuvira for a while and then walks up to her. She kneels before her and takes her hands and makes Kuvira look at her. Kuvira lets out a sigh and shakes her head, looking down at their hands that are holding each other. "I don't know. I was just happy when I got to hang out with someone after a long time. You make me feel... I feel like myself again around you. And I really like that. I know this is going to sound stupid, but I just don't want to lose the one thing that has made me happy after years," Kuvira rants and when she stops, there is a moment of silence. She looks down at Y/n's gentle eyes.</p><p>"I understand what you mean, and your feelings are totally valid. You know, you can stay over for dinner, if you want. After that, you can go talk with Su and try to convince her to let us go to Republic City. Or you can ask if Kya and Lin can come here. Does that sound good?" Y/n suggests and rubs Kuvira's palm with her thumb. Kuvira's body relaxes and she takes a deep breath before nodding as an answer. She smiles and then she helps Y/n up from the ground.</p><p>After eating, Kuvira and Y/n go outside to sit on the front porch and look at the sunset again. Y/n brought her blanket with her since she is constantly feeling cold.</p><p>"I never apologized for what I said yesterday. I'm really sorry that I was rude and called your idea of an adventure stupid. I understand now, why you'd want to go on an adventure... Because you don't know how much time you have," Kuvira speaks up quietly and carefully glances over at y/n, who is just smiling and looking at the sunset. "I don't think you should go on an adventure all by yourself. You should be with someone, just in case something happens," she adds.</p><p>"I will go on an adventure one day. I want to explore the world and then go to Republic City, where I can join a party and dance all through the night. I want to stay up late, just so that I can look at the stars and try to find the different star signs. I want to get to experience driving a satomobile and feel the air caress my skin," Y/n describes her dreams and laughs. She goes silent for a minute, before she continues. "I am tired of being treated like a glass that'll break. I want to be treated like a normal person because that's what I am. Just because I'm sick doesn't make me any different. That's why I didn't tell you at first. Because I was afraid of how you would treat me. I wasn't even sure if you and I would be friends."</p><p>When Kuvira listens to Y/n's dreams, she understands that she has to talk with Suyin about this. She stands up and steps in front of Y/n. "You will get to do those things one day. I'll go and talk with Su... Maybe I can convince her to invite Kya or even Katara here," Kuvira talks about her plans and smiles. Y/n gets up and smiles too. She takes a few steps back and leans on the wall behind her. She wraps her blanket tighter around her cold body.</p><p>"Thank you, Kuvira. You don't even know me, and you have decided that you want to help me. That's so nice of you," Y/n thanks Kuvira.</p><p>"Well, good night Y/n. I will come visit you tomorrow," Kuvira says awkwardly and starts walking backwards away from Y/n, not wanting to break their eye contact.</p><p>Y/n laughs and waves at her. "Night, Kuvira."</p><p>They hold onto their eye contact, before Kuvira breaks it by turning around and jogging away. Y/n takes a deep breath and looks at the sunset for the last time before she goes back inside.</p><p>Kuvira gets home and she starts to look for Suyin. She goes outside and finds her sitting in the garden, admiring the same sunset Kuvira was admiring a while back at Y/n's place. Kuvira sits next to the older woman and is quiet for a minute. "Can we talk?" She asks carefully.</p><p>Su looks at her and she smiles. "Yes of course we can talk. What's on your mind?" She asks.</p><p>"So... I found out about Y/n's illness. And we talked about it with her and we came up with an idea," Kuvira starts. Su doesn't look happy, but she lets her finish. "We thought that maybe we could go to Republic City, to see Kya. Or invite her and Lin here. I know that you and your sister don't get along that well but please. Y/n deserves to be happy and healthy and I don't see what we could lose by letting Kya try to heal her," Kuvira presents her ideas and Suyin stays quiet. </p><p>Suyin is struggling with finding the right words. "Honey, listen. It's not that easy. She has been sick her whole life and we have tried a lot of different things. I don't think that Kya could make much of a difference," she starts out and Kuvira can't believe what she is hearing. "And as far as I am aware, Y/n is happy. She is living the best life she can in a situation like this. You need to stop worrying about a girl you met yesterday and let the adults handle this."</p><p>"Are you serious? It sounds like you want her to die!" Kuvira yells and jumps up. She is angry. She is angry because she thought that Suyin, out of all people, would understand. "She isn't happy! She is miserable. I was just talking with her and you should've heard about her dreams. One of them is to dance. She wants to dance! But she can’t because she is sick. She can't do fun things because you are denying that she needs proper help. For god's sake, all she does is wake up, go practise some metal bending and then go home, where she is being taken care of by her parents, which, do I have to remind you, own a shop that needs to be taken care of too. She just wants to be a normal person and-"</p><p>"Kuvira stop! You don't understand, what you're saying. You're being too loud and you're messing with other people's problems. I've known this girl for 17 years. She was two, when she came here, and her illness was found pretty soon after her adoption. And when I tell you that she is doing fine, I mean it. Now go to your room and calm down," Suyin interrupts Kuvira. Suyin's words upset Kuvira. Her words are almost identical to what her real parents used to say to her - that she was too loud and needed to calm down.</p><p>Kuvira can't understand, why Suyin doesn't want to help someone, whose only wish is to live long enough to dance or look at the stars.</p><p>She can't take it anymore. Kuvira just walks out of the garden and bashes a few sculptures on her way inside. She holds her hands in a fist so hard that her fingernails dig into her skin and make her hands bleed out. She gets to her room, where she locks the door with a simple movement with her hand and sits on the bed. She can't understand anything. All of the feelings are so overwhelming that she just buries her face into a pillow and screams. The lights in her room break and she can hear the wall crack. She needs to calm down, otherwise she will destroy her whole room and be the way she used to be - unstable and unable to control her feelings.</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0003"><h2>3. Chapter 3</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>Trigger warning; Mentions of death, cursing</p><p>*This chapter is a mess*</p><p>Last time edited: 18.2.2021</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Kuvira is rolling in her bed because she can't sleep. This has been going on for hours, so she sits up frustrated and covers her face with her bruised hands. She closes her eyes and thinks about the conversation she and Suyin had. The last time they fought like that was when Kuvira was young. She is embarrassed that she yelled at her after all these years of learning to control her emotions and words, but at the same time she thinks that Suyin deserved all the yelling.</p><p>She lets out a tired sigh and looks out the window. It's dark, but there are some lights on around the city. She decides to get out of bed and put on some clothes. She walks up to the door of her room and opens it as quietly as possible. She steps into the hallway and closes the door behind her. For a minute, she just stands still and listens carefully if anyone is awake. When she is sure that she will not run into anyone, she starts walking down the hallway, towards the doors to the garden.</p><p>When she gets outside, she is greeted by the fresh cold air. It pinches her nostrils and throat as she takes a deep breath. She starts wandering around the garden. She loves to walk there at night because it's so quiet and calming there. She is also a huge flower lover, so being surrounded by flowers makes her happy.</p><p>Then she hears a crack. She turns around, ready to fight. She takes her fighting stance and breaths quickly through her mouth. She observes her surroundings and walks in a small circle. "Who's there?" She yells and waits for an answer. She can't see well in the dark, so she squints her eyes to see better. As the footsteps start getting closer, she is preparing herself for an attack.</p><p>"Please don't murder me, it's just me," she hears a familiar voice and then Baatar jr. steps into the light. Kuvira frowns her eyebrows and returns into her normal standing position. "Sorry if I startled you, I didn't mean to," he apologizes as he gets closer to Kuvira.</p><p>Kuvira shrugs her shoulders and looks away from the young man. "I wasn't expecting to see anyone here at this hour. At least not you," she explains and slightly glances over at him. "Why are you even awake?"</p><p>"I couldn't sleep. Father has this crazy project that he is working on and it is keeping me awake. I'm just walking around and trying to clear my head," he responds and smiles at the younger woman. Kuvira returns a smile and then sits down on the closest bench. "Why are you awake?" Baatar asks in turn and sits next to Kuvira, but not too close. Kuvira lets out a frustrated sigh and rubs her face with her cold hands.</p><p>"I argued with Su and it was pretty intense. I got really emotional and I can still feel the exact same emotions that I did hours ago. And I feel like my own emotions are trying to suffocate me, because I can't breathe normally and I have this heavy feeling on my chest, like someone is pressing it really hard... I feel like I am that same helpless child that I was years ago," Kuvira stumbles over her words as she feels the lump in her throat grow bigger. Her breathing gets more difficult the more she thinks about the whole situation. She can hear her heart pounding, as if it was right next to Kuvira's ears. "I just... I didn’t... I-" She tries to speak, but she chokes on every word that tries to come out of her mouth. She is gasping for air and she covers her face with her hands and shakes her head.</p><p>Baatar jr. gets down on his knees in front of Kuvira and places his hands gently on Kuvira's knees. "Kuvira... Listen to me. I want you to breathe with me. Ok? You need to breathe," he says calmly as he is rubbing Kuvira's knees. "Ok. In... and out... In... and out... Through your nose in... and through your mouth out... Ok I will now start counting and you will breathe in that rhythm. One... Two... Three... Four..." Baatar keeps talking with his calm voice and Kuvira lets her hands fall to her lap, next to Baatar's. She looks down at the young man's eyes and continues breathing with the rhythm he has set. The lump in her throat starts getting smaller, the more she listens to his voice and does as he says.</p><p>They continue this for a while, before Kuvira leans back and Baatar lets go of her knees. Kuvira looks away as Baatar sits back on the bench. They are silent.</p><p>"Are you okay?" Baatar asks carefully as he lies his eyes on Kuvira's side profile. "I mean obviously you're not, but I mean do you want to talk about it? Because if you do, I'm all ears. We have all the time in this world," he adds and waits for Kuvira's answer.</p><p>She still can't look at Baatar. She feels stupid for reacting that way in front of Baatar. The last time he had to help her through that type of situation was when they were small kids. She slightly turns her head to look at the man sitting next to her. She takes a deep breath. "My friend is sick. Really sick. She is basically on the verge to die all of the time. I asked Su if we can get a real healer to treat her, but she just said no. She is denying her the help she needs. I don't understand why she can't see that we won't lose anything if we try it. I thought that she was different," Kuvira explains what is on her mind and Baatar is listening to her without interrupting. "I know that I met this girl a few days ago, but for fucks sake everyone deserves to be happy and healthy!" She adds and shakes her head in disbelief.</p><p>"Be honest with me now, Kuvira. Do you want my advice, or do you just want to rant?" Baatar asks after a moment of silence.</p><p>"Please, if you have any advice for a situation like this, then spill it." She replies and now turns her head to face him.</p><p>Baatar thinks about his words, before he says anything. "Ok. I know that you're a person who turns everything into a mission. And it sounds like you've turned your friend into a mission as well. You want her to get better and that is totally normal for everyone who has friends, but you're taking it too far. Su doesn't listen to you if you yell at her. You have to show her that you're able to remain professional and reason with her without yelling," Baatar takes a break to observe Kuvira and her reactions. She seems to be neutral and just listening to him. So, he continues. "You are an amazing friend for fighting this hard for her. But like you said, you met her a few days ago. Don't you think it's weird that you feel this strongly about her?"</p><p>Kuvira is quiet. She understands what he is saying, and she agrees that it's weird that she wants to help and protect Y/n so strongly. "I know that it's weird. But something about her makes me feel alive again. I've been living emotionless for years now and I've just been focusing on getting the career that I want. But then she showed up, asked me to hang out with her and it was so nice that for the first time in years I didn't have to worry about training or anything else that has been stressing me out. With her, I felt like I was a totally different person. When I am with her, I feel vulnerable and I don't like that. But at the same time... I love feeling that way, because I can be myself around her and just feel... free," Kuvira confesses and her mouth curves into a small, when she remembers the flower that Y/n gave her. "It's like we were friends in our past lives."</p><p>"I'm glad that you have found someone, who can make you happy. You deserve that and I totally support this friendship you and your friend have," Baatar says and smiles at Kuvira. "But still, I want you to consider why you feel like this. Is she a mission for you? Do you feel like you <strong>need</strong> to cure her, or do you want her to get better because you want her and her parents to be happy? Are you doing this for your own good or are you actually thinking what is the best for her?" He asks and Kuvira shakes her head. She then looks at Baatar and shrugs her shoulders.</p><p>"I do care about her. This isn't about me. I know that I can be a little intense sometimes and turn everything into a mission, but not this time. I honestly feel bad for her and her parents and want her to be healthy and happy, because she deserves it. She has so many dreams that seem impossible to her because she is sick. She told me that she wants to dance, stay up late to look at the stars and drive a satomobile. I can do all those things, but she can't. And that's sad. I just don't know how I can make Su see that we won't lose anything if we invite Kya here to check on Y/n," Kuvira explains with a melancholic tone in her voice. Baatar places his hand on Kuvira's shoulder.</p><p>"I know that she is stubborn, but so are you. If you just talk to her calmly and explain everything... maybe she will eventually agree to your plan," he says and smiles. "But it's already late. You should go to bed and try to get some sleep. We will see each other in the morning, unless father comes up with another crazy idea and makes me stick with him all day."</p><p>Kuvira laughs and nods. She stands up and so does Baatar. They look at each other for a minute, both smiling. "Good night, Baatar," Kuvira whispers, before she walks away and heads back inside.</p><p>She sneaks back into her room and goes straight to bed and tries her best to fall asleep.</p><p>The Beifong family and Kuvira are sitting quietly around the table, eating breakfast. Kuvira doesn't even dare to look at Suyin, but she and Baatar jr. exchange looks and smile at each other. Kuvira is glad that she and Baatar talked last night because it made her realize that she had missed him. After his father started to drag him into all of his projects, she hasn't really seen or heard anything from him.</p><p>After everyone has eaten, Kuvira waits for the others to leave. She walks over to Suyin, who turns around and crosses her arms. Kuvira doesn't know what to say, so she decides to stay quiet.</p><p>"Is there something you want to say to me?" Suyin asks and raises her eyebrows at Kuvira.</p><p>"Well yeah... About yesterday, and before you stop me, let me finish. So... I talked with Baatar jr. about this and he said that I should try to talk to you... with less yelling," Kuvira looks at Suyin, to see if she'll let her finish. Suyin stays silent, so Kuvira continues. "I know I shouldn't have yelled at you yesterday, and I am sorry that I did. I should know better and that just made me look like a child again. But I still stand behind what I said yesterday. I believe that you should invite Kya here to treat Y/n. Her only wish is to live long enough to see the stars and dance all through the night. She wants to live like a normal person, and I think she deserves that."</p><p>Suyin takes a long time to answer and Kuvira is getting worried about what she will say. "Kuvira... It's lovely to see that you've found someone you care about. But I also stand behind what <strong>I</strong> said yesterday. I don't believe Kya could make much of a difference in the situation," her words disappoint Kuvira once again. She shakes her head and sighs. "But you are true about the fact that she deserves to be happy. And it seems like you make her happy. So maybe you should just hang around with her more."</p><p>"Are you dumb or aren't you listening to me? She needs real help. And you know what? Okay, listen to me, very carefully," Kuvira starts pacing around the dining hall, trying to focus on what she is about to say. "When Y/n asked me to hang out with her for the first time, I said no. Why? Because I was so worried about my career and making <strong>you</strong> happy. But then I thought to myself, fuck it, and said yes. Because I've been so stressed out due to all of the work I have to do, so that I can be a guard and serve <strong>you</strong>. And when I went out with her, I felt free. I was happy! She gave me this flower and I don't think anyone has ever done that to me. I loved every second I spent with her, but then I screwed it up because I was thinking about my career again. And then... And then I went to see her yesterday and we talked. I met her parents and they treated me like I was their daughter. I almost started to cry, because I never felt like that with you or with anyone in this family. I've always had to fight for attention, but still, I seem to always be the last person you think about and show your love to. And I'm sick of it! Because you always say that you love me, but you don't really mean it!" Kuvira ends up yelling and tears start welling up in her eyes.</p><p>Before Suyin can say anything, Kuvira continues. "Her parents care about her, even though they aren't her real parents. Imagine the day when they lose her. When she doesn't wake up in the morning after they've tried to wake her up multiple times, only to find her lying in her bed <strong>dead</strong>. Think about it! You are a selfish person for letting this situation to go on for too long!"</p><p>Suyin sits down at the table and takes a deep breath and closes her eyes. "I am sorry that you feel that way, Kuvira. But I really do love you. I never meant to make you feel like that, I mean it," she starts out and is quiet before she continues. "I want you to promise me that you will not give up on your dream of becoming a guard, just because you can't get this one thing. Please. I don't want you to waste all of your talent over a girl you just met, even if she is sick. I know you have a big heart, but you need to reconsider your motives behind your actions."</p><p>"Su, you're killing her," Kuvira hisses and her and Suyin's eyes meet. Kuvira's eyebrows are frowned. "I hate you. I really hope that you notice what you're doing," she says and leaves the dining hall.</p>
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<a name="section0004"><h2>4. Chapter 4</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>Last time edited: 18.2.2021</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>"Kuvira hi! It's rather early. Do you want to come in?" Y/n's mother says happily as she opens the door for Kuvira. Kuvira smiles at her and she steps inside the house. She sees that Y/n is sitting at the table in the kitchen, eating breakfast. Y/n stands up and walks over to Kuvira.</p><p>"Is everything okay?" She asks and looks up at the taller woman's green eyes. Kuvira looks down at Y/n and for some reason the question gets her emotional. Tears start burning her eyes and she covers her mouth with her hand. Y/n doesn't say anything, she just opens her arms and gently pulls Kuvira into a hug. She wraps her arms around Kuvira's torso and after that Kuvira also wraps her arms around Y/n's body. She holds onto Y/n tightly and buries her face into her shoulder. Y/n's mother looks at the two hugging each other from the kitchen and smiles. She is not happy to see Kuvira sad, but she is happy that she chose to come here and isn't afraid to show off her emotions.</p><p>When they depart from the hug, Kuvira wipes off the tears on her cheeks and takes a step back. She sobs and breathes through her mouth. "I'm sorry you had to witness that," Kuvira apologizes and avoids Y/n's eyes by looking at the floor.</p><p>Y/n's mother carefully approaches Kuvira and smiles gently. "Kuvira honey, do you want something to eat?" She asks. Kuvira raises her head to look at the older woman who is standing next to Y/n.</p><p>Kuvira shakes her head. "No thank you. I already ate at home. Thank you for the offer though," she gently denies the offer and smiles. Y/n's mother nods and leaves the two alone.</p><p>They go sit in the living room. The big windows in the living room light up the place nicely and they have a gorgeous view outside.</p><p>"I talked with Su," Kuvira says and looks at Y/n, who is sitting next to her on the floor. Y/n turns to look at her with a hopeful look on her face.</p><p>Y/n is excited to hear the news. "Well? What did she say?"</p><p>Kuvira lets out a frustrated sigh. "I hate to say this, but she said no. She doesn't want to invite Kya here," she breaks the news, and she can see how the happiness and hopefulness fade away from Y/n's face. "I'm sorry. I tried to convince her but every time I tried to, it ended up with me yelling at her and us fighting," Kuvira explains and looks outside the window. She is disappointed in herself. She feels like she has let Y/n down.</p><p>Y/n nods her head and looks outside the window as well. "It's fine. I don't even know what I was thinking when I thought that she would say yes."</p><p>They both ponder about the situation in silence. Kuvira carefully glances at Y/n who is playing with the hem of her shirt. She is devastated to see her this way. Before Kuvira and Y/n were friends or knew each other, Kuvira remembers seeing Y/n around Zaofu all the time. When she saw her, she had a big smile on her face, and she was goofing around with the guards or her other friends. Even on their first night out Y/n wasn't hiding her true self and she was being loud and telling incredibly stupid jokes. But now she is broken, and it breaks Kuvira's heart.</p><p>"There is one thing we can try," Kuvira breaks the silence and looks at Y/n. "Su's oldest son, Baatar jr., is amazing when it comes to technology. He has been working on trail networks for a long time, so maybe he can try to build us a radio that can reach the Republic City, unless he already has one. I can try to talk to him," Kuvira suggests and examines how Y/n reacts. She slowly turns her head to look at Kuvira and nods slightly. Kuvira gives her a smile.</p><p>"That could work," Y/n comments and smiles back.</p><p>They sit in the living room for hours and talk about everything. Somehow, they end up talking about dreams and Kuvira listens again as Y/n explains about her dreams even more.</p><p>"So, what is your biggest dream?" Y/n surprises Kuvira with the question.</p><p>Kuvira thinks for a second. "I don't really know. I mean I always wanted to be a guard or something and that is what I've been working on for years, but besides that I don't think I have any other dreams. I always wanted to make Su happy," she responds and falls on her back and closes her eyes. "Now that I think about it, it's kind of sad that all I ever wanted was to make Su happy."</p><p>Y/n nods and lies down next to Kuvira and admires her side profile and her dark hair that is beautifully framing Kuvira's face.</p><p>"I mean yeah it's kind of sad but for the first time in your life you had someone who understood your talent. She made you see that the power you possess is a good thing and that you can control it. She became like a mother to you. It's only natural that you want her to be happy," Y/n says. "But I don't want you to hate Su because of me. She is your rock, and you need that."</p><p>"I guess you're right. But it angers me that she thinks I don't understand this situation. She always says that I should let the adults worry about this. I am an adult!" Kuvira mumbles and opens her eyes. "I should apologize."</p><p>"Probably. Even though I fight with my parents quite a lot I still love them. They don't have to agree with me on everything," Y/n agrees with Kuvira.</p><p>Kuvira eyes Y/n and smiles. Now she realizes that Y/n has a scar on her lip that goes down to her chin. She points at it. "Where did you get that?" She asks and changes the subject of their conversation.</p><p>Y/n laughs and sits up. Kuvira sits up too and smiles at her.</p><p>"I was a very stupid child. I mean I'm still stupid but imagine me as a six-year-old," she starts and shakes her head when remembering what she used to be like when she was younger. "It's not even a funny story, I was just stupid ok. So, I was once in the dance studio because Su let me do whatever I wanted and I um... I took one of those cables and I was pretending to be a metal bender and I didn't even know I could metal bend back then. So, I was playing around with the cable and then <strong>bam</strong> the whole thing backfired, and I hit myself with the cable. I had metal bended the cable and that is my first metal bending experience. I scared Su so badly, but I just thought it was fun."</p><p>Kuvira laughs. "You are such a graceful human being," she comments Y/n's story and smiles slightly.</p><p>Y/n's mother walks into the living room and leans on the door frame. She smiles. "I'm sorry to interrupt but honey, you have your doctor's appointment soon. Kuvira should start leaving," she says and Kuvira stands up from the floor. She walks to Y/n's mother and turns to face Y/n.</p><p>"I'll get going, but I promise to come back soon. I have the whole day off so I might come back later today," she promises, and Y/n gets up too.</p><p>"Okay. Bye!" She shouts as Kuvira leaves. She closes the front door behind her as she exits. But she doesn't go home. Since she doesn't have to train metal bending or dancing today, she decides to go sit by the river.</p><p>
  <strong>Kuvira's point of view</strong>
</p><p>I totally get it. I mean Su sometimes does mention her sister Lin but everytime she does, it's just a reminder that they don't get along. And since Lin and Kya are married, Su is afraid that Kya would drag Lin with her here. But if we get a hold on Kya maybe we can ask her to leave Lin home. Or something.</p><p>It just doesn't sit right with me that Su doesn't want to help. It's totally out of character for her. She took me in when I needed home, she helped me through my anger problems and made me learn how to control myself. Even though I didn't always get the attention I wanted, I still do love her. And I know that she loves me. What I said to her this morning wasn't the right thing to do. I hate myself for making her feel like shit and I really want to apologize. But how? How do I apologize to her after saying those horrible things? She probably hates me now.</p><p>Even though this day started out as shit I can say that this is a beautiful day. The sun is shining, the weather is beautiful, and it is quiet. I love quietness.</p><p>But I can't shake off the things Baatar jr. told me yesterday. He was right when he said that I am a person who turns everything into a mission. And for a while I was really thinking, is Y/n just another mission for me that I have to complete? I can't explain it, but I really do care for her. We are very similar, except that she is goofier than me, and I love that about her. We were both taken in when we were younger and Su did take care of us. But Y/n got adopted into a loving family. I mean I guess Su adopted me and the Beifong family does feel like a family for me, but after seeing Y/n and her parents I don't know what to think. They are so close, and they really do care about each other. They show their love, and their love isn't something they are ashamed of. I want that. I want to <strong>feel</strong> that.</p><p>So, the thing is, am I attracted to Y/n because she is what I've always wanted to feel like or am I just being my stupid self and thinking of her as a mission? I don't even understand myself. Why do I have to be this way? Why am I so complicated? God, I am such a fucking idiot.</p><p>Maybe I should talk with Baatar again. He is good with words and he basically never fuck up anything. I don't know how he does it. I am always making a mess with my words and when I try to fix things, I create even a bigger mess. I don't even know how that's possible.</p><p>I can't get a hold on of my own thoughts. I don't know what feeling is real and what is not, and I can't separate my feelings from each other. It's like they are all trying to speak to me at the same time, some are yelling, some are whispering, and I just can't understand what they are trying to say. They pull me into different directions, and I don't know which one to follow or if I should follow them at all. For all my life I've wanted to make all of it stop but I just don't know how.</p><p>Like I said, this day is beautiful. I should walk around for a while before heading back home. I really want to make up things with Su. I don't want to fuck up the relationship that is the most important for me in the whole world.</p><p>Kuvira takes her time and admires Zaofu and the weather for a few more hours. It's getting dark already, so she decides to head back home. She is hoping to find Suyin so that they can talk.</p><p>But instead of Suyin, she is greeted by Opal. She has been waiting for Kuvira for hours in the courtyard. Kuvira tries to walk past her, but she stops her. Kuvira sighs and crosses her arms and looks down at Opal. She seems mad.</p><p>"What do you want?" Kuvira asks and Opal lets out a laugh. Kuvira raises her eyebrow.</p><p>"You're such a bitch," Opal says as she takes a step closer to Kuvira. "First you yell at mom, then you break Huan's sculptures in the garden and in the morning, you yell at mom again. She has been sad all day! What you really said to her hurt her. I think you should leave. She doesn't want to see you."</p><p>Kuvira is shocked. She knew that what she said to Suyin had hurt her, but she didn't know that she thought of her like that. <em>"She doesn't want to see you"</em> plays on rewind in her head and that is all she can think about.</p><p>"Opal please, I really want to talk with her. I am here to apologize," Kuvira tries to convince Opal to let her walk past her, but Opal just shakes her head and stands her ground. "Seriously. I didn't mean to hurt her. And I will apologize to Huan too, but first you have to let me through."</p><p>"Listen up Kuvira. She said that she doesn't want to see you. So, you should leave and find a place to spend the night. Maybe you should go back to your loser friend's place. That's where you left this morning, am I right?" Opal's words start to annoy Kuvira. She frowns her eyebrows and looks away. "No one likes you. You mess up everything. You don't belong here."</p><p>"Shut up! Shut up! I don't want to hear your bullshit, Opal. Just let me talk to Su!" Kuvira hisses and the ground beneath her starts cracking. Opal looks down at Kuvira's feet and then back at her eyes. She shakes her head.</p><p>"No. Leave."</p><p>Kuvira doesn't know what to say anymore. And as much as she wants to fight with Opal, she knows it wouldn't be fair since she is a non-bender. So, she decides to leave. She turns around and starts walking away from the house. Opal just looks after Kuvira with a smirk on her face.</p><p>Since Kuvira has to find a place to spend the night at, she decides to try Y/n's place. She stomps her way there and takes a few deep breaths before she knocks on the door. She doesn't have to wait long for Y/n's mother to open the door. She is smiling, like she always seems to be.</p><p>"Hi, is it ok if I spend the night here?"</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>Hello and thank you for reading this chapter.</p><p>If you want updates regarding this story, feel free to follow me on Tumblr. I post other weird stuff too:  <a href="https://kuviras-btch.tumblr.com/">Kuviras-btch</a></p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0005"><h2>5. Chapter 5</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>Last time edited: 18.2.2021</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Kuvira is glad that Y/n's parents let her stay for the night. They had set her a bed in the guest room and made sure that she was comfortable. They didn't ask any questions, they just let Kuvira stay.</p><p>In the morning Y/n knocks on the door before she slightly opens it to see if Kuvira's awake. She is sitting on the floor, her legs crossed, meditating. Y/n enters the room and closes the door behind her. She sits down next to Kuvira and admires her face. A smile forces its way to Y/n's face as she observes Kuvira. She is so concentrated and calm that Y/n wonders what she is thinking about. But if she actually knew, she would be worried, even scared.</p><p>"It's not polite to stare at other people," Kuvira speaks up and opens her eyes. She lies her eyes on the woman who interrupted her meditation session. She grins and stands up.</p><p>"I didn't mean to be impolite. I was just observing you and your morningly activity," Y/n defends herself and laughs. "I just came to check if you're awake. Mom made us some breakfast."</p><p>Kuvira takes her hands over her stomach and taps it gently. "I was starting to get hungry," she says and helps Y/n up from the floor. They exit the room and head to the kitchen, where Y/n's parents are hovering around and making sure that there is enough food for everyone. "Morning!" Kuvira greets them as she sits down at the table. Y/n sits next to her and they start to gather food on their plates.</p><p>"Are you going to the training halls today?" Y/n's father asks and eyes the young women sitting at the table.</p><p>Y/n nods and smiles. "Yeah, I'm feeling a little better. I don't know if I'll be able to train as intensively as usual, but I guess I'll figure something out," she responds with her mouth full of food.</p><p>Kuvira chuckles and shakes her head as she watches Y/n eating the food with such a hurry. "Maybe the twins will play with you if they are there too," she proposes.</p><p>"That sounds fun. But remember to be careful, ok?" Y/n's mother comments and smiles at the two.</p><p>"I once played power disc with them. It was super fun, but I got my ass kicked and I haven't played it since. I might have to gain my honor back," Y/n remembers the time when she was younger and a lot healthier. She had befriended the Beifong twins Wei and Wing and they had asked if she wanted to play. And because she is competitive, she had said yes. She wasn't a strong metal bender back then, but she still loved playing with them. They gave her some advice about metal bending and she has used those tips ever since.</p><p>"We had multiple matches when we were younger. I usually paired up with Su but sometimes I was with either one of the twins. It's super fun when you get the hang of it," Kuvira shares her experiences and smiles. She loves the twins and really misses the days when they were almost always playing around the Beifong estate. "If I ever wanted to feel better, I was with the twins. If I wanted peace and quietness, I was with Huan. And if I wanted to talk to someone, I was with Baatar jr. They all had my back, no matter the day or time."</p><p>They all get silent after Kuvira opens up a little. They eat in silence and when they finish, Y/n's parents start gathering the plates into a one big pile.</p><p>"Thank you, the food was really good," Kuvira thanks as she stands up and helps around. She then turns around to look at Y/n, who is still sitting at the table. "We should probably get going." She notes and Y/n nods in agreement.</p><p>"Remember to be careful, ok?" Her mother reminds her. Y/n rubs the back of her head and laughs. "Oh! And don't forget to get your pet from your friend's place. I told him that he'd be taking care of him only for a few days and I don't want to bother him too much," her mother adds quickly and Kuvira turns to face Y/n. She had no idea that she had a pet.</p><p>"A pet, huh?" Kuvira asks as she crosses her arms and grins.</p><p>Y/n walks to the door backwards and chuckles. "Yeah. I have a fire ferret. Su gave him to me when I turned 16. He is a pain in the ass sometimes but he's a lovely goofball," Y/n explains.</p><p>The two women leave the house and head towards the training grounds. Y/n is feeling a lot better, but she knows that she can't really do much today. She is just glad that she gets to tag along with Kuvira.</p><p>When they get to the training grounds, Suyin is already there preparing the lesson. Kuvira avoids her and goes straight to her own corner, leaving Y/n all by herself. Suyin notices the two but doesn't say anything to them. She just watches as the other one already starts doing warmups and the other one sits on the side, starting to play with small rocks. She was worried all night, when Kuvira didn't show up home. Opal had told her that she did step by, but that she had left in a hurry. She is glad that she was with a friend.</p><p>When more people get to the hall, Suyin is ready to start her lesson. She instructs people on what they are supposed to be doing and she shows some new tricks that she thought might be helpful. Y/n observes Kuvira, who seems to be doing everything perfectly. Her stance is strong and full of raw power, but she makes it seem so elegant and easy. Just watching her makes Y/n amazed and jealous that she can't do that.</p><p>"Are you alright?" Suyin interrupts Y/n's observation, as she sits down next to the younger woman. Y/n doesn't dare to look at Suyin, she just keeps on bending the small rocks and hovering them above her hand, trying to ignore the woman. When Suyin realizes that Y/n is avoiding her, she takes her rocks away to make her look at her. And it works. Suyin smiles at her. "You seem a lot healthier."</p><p>"Yeah well, I'm not," Y/n responds and stares at Suyin's green eyes. The older woman raises her eyebrows, as if she was asking for Y/n to elaborate what she means. "The treatments aren't really working. Yes, they take away all the pain and relieve some of my symptoms but that's all it does. I feel weaker every day and my bending is getting weaker. I don't want to worry my parents or Kuvira with this stuff. I know that it'll only break them."</p><p>Suyin breaks their eye contact. Only now she realizes that Y/n isn't really getting better, nor is she actually happy. She glances over at Kuvira. Suyin understands now that Kuvira was right. "Let's go talk somewhere private, shall we?" Su suggests and gets up. She helps Y/n, and they leave the training grounds to go walk around. "So... You've been lying to us for years," she then speaks, as they get further away from the training grounds.</p><p>"I haven't been lying. I never said that the treatments worked. I never said anything. You never asked either," Y/n talks quietly and keeps her eyes on the ground. "I also know that when my parents requested for a healer to check on me, you refused. And it appears that you haven't really changed your mind since then."</p><p>The older woman feels bad. "I'm sorry that I did that. I had so much faith in my own doctors that I didn't believe that the spirit water could help. That's at least what they told me," she takes a small break, before she continues. "I didn't believe Kuvira when she told me that you weren't happy. I didn't believe her at all, because I was living in a dream, where I hoped that you were, indeed, happy. You always have a smile on your face, and you are still goofy as always. I didn't see that you were unhappy," Suyin admits and is ashamed that she was ignorant.</p><p>Before Y/n can say anything, Suyin stops her and looks at her in the eyes. She wants to make one thing clear. "I'm ashamed of myself and the way I have treated you. I am sorry that I ever ignored you. And I want to make it up if that's even possible. I promise to consider inviting Kya over here, so that you don't have to travel all the way to Republic City," her words bring a smile to Y/n's face. "I also would like to invite you over for dinner. I think it's time to get to know you a lot better."</p><p>Y/n can't stop smiling. She doesn't even hesitate when she hugs Suyin. She holds the older woman tightly and closes her eyes for a moment. "Thank you," she whispers. Suyin smiles and wraps her arms around Y/n. When they depart from the hug, Y/n scratches the back of her neck. "I'm sorry that you and Kuvira fought because of me. I didn't know that she was so... intense and passionate about this," she apologizes.</p><p>"Don't apologize. Without us fighting I wouldn't have even considered to talk to you about your treatments."</p><p>They start heading back to the training grounds. Suyin mentions that she is really happy that Y/n and Kuvira seem to be close. "She needs a friend outside her own home and family. I'm glad that you asked her to hang out with her."</p><p>Kuvira is about to leave the training grounds, but Suyin steps into her way and stops her. "Don't leave just yet. I want to talk with you really quick," Suyin says and Kuvira lets her speak. "I was worried when you didn't get home yesterday. I thought that what I said really hurt you and that you didn't want to come home anymore. So... I am sorry. I should've listened to you because you were right all along. And because of that, I've decided to consider inviting Kya here," she breaks the news and Kuvira's face lights up. "We will be having a dinner tonight and Y/n is invited. Make sure you'll be there."</p><p>Kuvira can't speak because she is shocked, in a good way. Suyin just smiles at her and steps aside, so that Kuvira can leave. "I'll see you then," Kuvira stutters as she leaves. Suyin watches as the woman she considers to be a part of her family walks to Y/n, who is waiting for her further away. They are excited and Suyin is happy to see them jump around in excitement.</p><p>"I can't believe that she gave in. I mean I'm glad that she did but what did you say to her that made her change her mind?" Kuvira asks with excitement in her voice.</p><p>"I just told her that the treatments aren't working and that I know that she has denied my parents request for a healer before. She probably just felt really bad," Y/n theorises and shrugs her shoulders.</p><p>"Well, she should feel bad," Kuvira points out and laughs. She is glad that now there is even a possibility for Y/n to finally be healthy and happy.</p><p>They are heading to get Y/n's fire ferret from her friend's place. It's not a long walk, so they get there in a matter of minutes. Y/n knocks on the door and they don't have to wait for more than a few seconds, before the door flies open. There is a tall guy standing at the door, holding a fire ferret.  When the animal sees Y/n, it gets excited and jumps into her arms. Y/n laughs and lets the fire ferret set on her shoulders.</p><p>"He's a real pain in the ass, you know? I don't understand how you can live with him!" The guy complains and lets out a relieved sigh that he is finally getting rid of the animal. He then realises that Kuvira is standing next to Y/n. He is confused since he has never seen the two together before. He knows who Kuvira is, but he has never actually met her. "And what are you doing with her? Isn't she part of the Beifong family? How do you two even know each other?" He bombs the two women with questions. Kuvira can't help but to let out a laugh and shake her head.</p><p>"You know what, pretty boy? You seem like a nice young guy, but we really don't have time to answer your questions. It's getting late and we have dinner to attend to," Kuvira gives a snarky comment and turns to look at Y/n. "Let's go."</p><p>Y/n nods and then looks at her friend for the last time. "Thanks for taking care of Ozai, sorry if he destroyed your cabinets again. He has a habit of doing that," she says. The guy just flicks his hand and the two start leaving.</p><p>"You named your fire ferret after Fire Lord Ozai?" Kuvira asks while laughing.</p><p>"It wasn't my idea. It was Sachin who named him," Y/n explains.</p><p>"Sachin?"</p><p>"The guy you just met, he's Sachin. He's one of the first friends that I ever made."</p><p>"Right. Makes sense."</p><p>Since Y/n is feeling a lot better, her parents allowed her to go back to her own apartment. Kuvira doesn't want to head home yet, so she just follows Y/n and after walking around for some time, they get to her apartment that is in a different part of Zaofu, nowhere near the Beifong mansion. It's a small apartment, but Y/n has made it look like it has a lot more room than it actually does.</p><p>The house is filled with plants, too. Everywhere you look, there is a plant. Some are big, some are small, and the air is fresh. Ozai jumps off Y/n's shoulder to go play with the plants. Y/n walks around and collects all of the dirty clothes that are just lying on the ground and the furniture. "Sorry this place is a mess. I left in a hurry."</p><p>"No, it's fine. This is a real nice place," Kuvira compliments as she sits on the small couch that is calling for her. She is so tired that she could fall asleep. But she decides to stay awake. "What are you going to wear for dinner?" She asks.</p><p>Then it hits Y/n. She stops what she is doing and slowly turns to look at Kuvira, who is very comfortably sitting on the couch. She doesn't have anything nice to wear. That's what hit her. She is going to a fancy mansion for dinner and all she has are some old clothes with holes in them. "Fuck. I didn't even consider that."</p><p>Kuvira laughs and locates Y/n's closet in the small apartment. She walks up to it and opens the doors. She goes through the clothes and pulls out a few pieces of clothing. She turns around and tosses them to Y/n, who catches them and looks at them. A dark green turtleneck and a pair of black, flowy pants. "It's very simple, but it works. Add a necklace and a nice belt and it'll be perfect. I can help you with your hair," Kuvira offers to help and Y/n accepts the offer.</p><p>Y/n doesn't even think twice when she starts changing her clothes in front of Kuvira. Kuvira blushes and looks away to respect Y/n. To distract herself, she starts looking for a brush and some hair pins she can use. "There are some supplies in the bathroom. Sorry, it's a mess too," Y/n guides.</p><p>When Kuvira enters the bathroom, she is indeed met with a mess. Everything is on the floor. It looks like someone fell and tried to take a hold onto a shelf but that shelf broke and everything just fell apart. She assumes that that's what happened to Y/n and that's what she meant when she said that she left in a hurry. She carefully goes through the stuff and puts the items back on the shelves.</p><p>Y/n startles Kuvira when she barges in the bathroom too. She is only wearing her underwear, so Kuvira tries her best to not even accidentally look at the other woman.</p><p>"Sorry to barge in, I just remembered that my belt is in here somewhere," Y/n apologizes as she goes through her stuff and looks for her belt. When she finds it, she lets out an "Aha!" and then leaves the bathroom. Kuvira feels her face get hot and her stomach fills with butterflies. She tries to shake off the feeling and continues to look for the things she needs.</p><p>When she finally has everything she needs, she steps out of the bathroom and carefully walks back to Y/n. Now she is fully clothed and checking herself out in front of a mirror that is in the corner of the room. She seems to be feeling herself, and it makes Kuvira smile. "Sit down so that I can do something to your hair," Kuvira commands and Y/n does as she is told. She sits down on the couch and turns her back to Kuvira, who sits next to her.</p><p>Kuvira starts out brushing her hair and pulling it back. She tries to be careful not to pull her hair too hard, because she knows how much it sucks when someone, even by accident, pulls your hair too hard. She then gathers all of the hairs together and twists the tail twice. She makes a low bun and secures it with a few hair pins. When she is ready, she puts her hands on Y/n's shoulders and holds them.</p><p>"I know that this is probably stressful, but don't think about it too much. It'll be fine," Kuvira gives Y/n a pep talk. Y/n turns around to look at her and smiles. "You ready to go?"</p><p>"Yeah. Let's go."</p>
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<a name="section0006"><h2>6. Chapter 6</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>Trigger warning; Mentions of death</p><p>Last time edited: 18.2.2021</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Kuvira left Y/n all alone with the Beifong family since she had to go and change her clothes. Everyone in the Beifong family eyes the girl sitting in the right corner of the table, with an empty seat next to her for Kuvira. Next to that seat is Baatar jr., who dares to make eye contact with Y/n. She smiles at him and then looks around at everyone and then meets Suyin's eyes.</p><p>"So, Y/n, your parents told me that you are back at your own apartment. How does it feel?" Suyin asks and smiles at her. She is wearing her normal outfit, which is expensive looking and beautiful. Afterall, Suyin is the matriarch of Zaofu so she wasn't really expecting her to tone down her appearance.</p><p>Y/n returns a smile and leans a little bit over her side of the table, so that she doesn't have to yell at the older woman. "It's really nice to be back at my own place. I missed the quietness and well, Ozai." Y/n gets confused looks since no one else except Suyin knows who Ozai is. "Ozai is my fire ferret," she clarifies. The twins are sitting across her, on the other side of the table. They laugh at her and their lively laughing brings a bigger smile to Y/n's face.</p><p>For a moment they are all quiet, until Kuvira walks in. She is wearing similar clothes to Suyin's, except they are a little more toned down and not as detailed as the matriarch's. The tall woman walks to her seat and sits down between Y/n and Baatar jr. "Hope I didn't miss anything," she comments and adds a little laugh at the end.</p><p>Now that they are all gathered around the big table, the chef starts bringing in their dishes. Everything smells good and looks expensive, like everything in Zaofu. "Enjoy your meal," The chef says as he leaves the dining room.</p><p>"Y/n, I hope this isn't a really invasive question, but I am interested in your illness," Baatar sr. starts and Y/n looks at the man, who is sitting almost next to her on the other side of the corner. "Su told me a lot of things, I hope that is okay. But I was thinking, do you know what it is? Or what does it exactly do to you?" He finishes his question, and it seems like everyone else also wants to hear an answer to his question. Everyone's eyes are on Y/n.</p><p>Y/n looks at the dish in front of her and thinks about her words. To be honest, she doesn't really know much about the illness that is restricting her life. "Uhm well I don't know if there is an actual name for this type of illness, but it weakens my immune system. It also affects my lungs and other organs, so sometimes it's really hard to breathe or my stomach isn't just working the way it's supposed to work." She explains about it as much as she can. "I can't really be around other people, but as many of you know, I don't follow that rule. That's why I have been sick so often during the last few years."</p><p>Baatar sr. nods his head as he eats, and Y/n can see that he has more questions on his mind. "So basically, you could die if you had a flu or something?"</p><p>Kuvira glances at the woman sitting on her right, to make sure that she is okay. Y/n did bring it up once by herself, but Kuvira is sure that someone who is sick doesn't want to think about dying more than they already do.</p><p>"Yeah, that's pretty much it. I have almost died twice because I had the flu. That's when I dropped out of training and had to isolate myself in my own apartment. It was a really lonely time, since I couldn't see anyone," Y/n has a melancholic tone in her voice, but she still keeps on smiling and having eye contact with Baatar sr. She doesn't want to be rude, even though Kuvira had told her that she can call them out if they ask things that she doesn't want to answer.</p><p>"How was it? Dying, I mean."</p><p>"Dad stop it. You're taking it too far." Baatar jr. has to stop his father, who seems to be too invested in the current topic. The older man looks over at his oldest son and realizes that his questions might've gone a little too far.</p><p>"I apologize, I should've stopped when I had the chance," The older man apologizes and brings his eyes to meet Y/n's eyes.</p><p>Y/n lets out a nervous laughter and rubs the back of her neck. "I understand that this is an interesting topic. It's fine, I have had a lot of people ask me the exact same questions," she replies and Baatar sr. feels a lot lighter.</p><p>They eat in silence because no one knows what is something they all could talk about. They can't really talk about bending, since half of the family is non-benders. Only Su, the twins, Huan and Kuvira would be able to join the conversation, even if Baatar sr. somehow could have something to say about the topic.</p><p>Kuvira notices that Opal has been really quiet during the dinner. She hasn't really taken her eyes off of her food nor has she said anything. Kuvira observes the young woman sitting across her, but she can't really get anything out of her. She just eats and keeps her head down, not wanting to look at anyone. It's as if she doesn't even want to be there, probably because Kuvira is back in the house. But Kuvira doesn't want to think about it too much, she is just glad that Opal is finally quiet even for a while.</p><p>Su decides that now is the perfect time to stand up for an announcement. "I have invited you all here today, because I wanted Y/n to get to know us a lot better and so that we can get to know her better. Like we already discovered earlier, she has an illness that is really difficult to treat. She and Kuvira have requested multiple times that I should invite my sister's wife, Kya, over to check on her, but every time I turned them down. I was being selfish when I should've been listening to them. And I apologize. I am sorry that I did that," Suyin speaks and looks at the two women sitting next to each other. "I promised you earlier today that I would consider inviting Kya here. And I have decided. Tomorrow, I will contact her and ask her to come here. Like Kuvira told me multiple times, you deserve to be healthy and happy," she announces, and Y/n can't believe what she is hearing. It takes her a moment to fully process what she just told her and then she turns to look at Kuvira, who has an exited look on her face.</p><p>Then it fully hits her, and she starts smiling. "Thank you, Suyin. This means a lot to me," Y/n thanks and almost starts to cry, because she is so happy. Kuvira holds Y/n's hand and they both start laughing.</p><p>"This is great. If everything goes well, you might get to go on your adventure sooner than you thought," Kuvira points out and Y/n wipes away tears from her cheeks. She looks back at Su and the older woman nods at her, while smiling brightly.</p><p>"An adventure? Tell me more about it," Baatar sr. asks his question and everyone starts laughing. Apparently, this man can't go on without asking questions about everything.</p><p>For the rest of the evening, they talk about various topics, Y/n's adventure being one of the main topics. She explains all of her plans and Kuvira told that she would gladly join Y/n once she is ready to go. Suyin was hesitant about the plan, but in the end, she gave them the permission to go.</p><p>At some point Baatar jr. and Kuvira left the dining room to go outside and no one has seen them since. Y/n is again alone with the Beifong family, but now there is less tension and even Opal has joined a few conversations.</p><p>"Yeah, once I get my life together, it's over for you guys. I <strong>will</strong> win you at power disc," Y/n declares and smirks at the twins. They laugh at her threat and are ready to accept the challenge.</p><p>"Sure! But you will need a partner, unless you want to go one-on-one against either of us," Wei comments and high five's his twin.</p><p>Y/n laughs at the two and keeps eyeing the door, waiting for Kuvira to come back. When she realizes that she has been gone for almost an hour, she gets up. "Thank you for the meal. It was really delicious. Tell the chef that I am ready to pay for his food," Y/n tells Suyin with a chuckle and the older woman smiles.</p><p>"I will deliver the feedback."</p><p>"Y/n! Want to go outside?" The twins ask and approach her. She nods and Huan and Opal join them too. They leave the dining room and walk down the hall, towards the main entrance of the mansion.</p><p>Y/n hears laughing somewhere, but she can't really locate where the sound is coming from. But she does recognize, whose laugh it is. The further they walk, the louder the laugh gets. Then she sees Baatar jr. and Kuvira near the front door, laughing at something.</p><p>"What is so funny? Did he propose to you, Kuvira?" Wing comments and his voice startles the two, since they didn't notice that the others were standing there. Wing's comment makes Baatar jr. blush and everyone notices this.</p><p>Even Kuvira seems to be embarrassed by his comment, so she looks away and clears her throat. "No, he uh... He just told me about the newest project Baatar sr. has come up with," Kuvira tries to explain something, but Y/n isn't buying her excuse. "Where are you all going?" Kuvira asks a question in return to change the subject and then makes eye contact with Y/n.</p><p>Y/n looks away from Kuvira. She feels jealous that Baatar jr. had made her laugh that way. She doesn't understand why she feels this way.</p><p>"We are heading outside. Come with us," Wei explains and then walks past the two, opening the door and stepping outside.</p><p>It's dark outside and it's late. Zaofu has already been closed and all the lights are on. They get to spend only a small amount of time outside, before Suyin joins them. She watches as Y/n plays around with the twins and smiles. "I hate to say this guys, but it's getting really late. Y/n should start leaving," she interrupts their play.</p><p>Kuvira turns to look at Y/n. "I can escort you home. Just so that you don't have to be alone," she offers and gives Y/n a gentle smile. Y/n responds to the offer with a smile and a nod.</p><p>"Before you two go, I would like to talk with you, Kuvira," Suyin says as she gently grabs Kuvira's arm and pulls her to the side. Y/n gets to spend some time with the twins while Huan and Opal head back inside.</p><p>When Kuvira finally turns to look at Suyin, she gives her a confused look. "What did I do?" She asks.</p><p>"Nothing. I just wanted to talk to you about yesterday. You know, the morning and why you didn't come home last night," The older woman starts out and puts her hands on Kuvira's shoulders and rubs them. "I am really sorry that I was mean. I was being selfish, not wanting to see that Y/n's problems were real. And I was ignoring your concern about the situation. I am sorry, truly."</p><p>Kuvira smiles and takes Suyin's hands and holds them. "It's okay. I shouldn't have yelled at you. And I shouldn't have said all of those mean things. I don't hate you, okay? I might've hated your attitude at the moment, but I don't really hate you. I love you and I was just being angry. Please forgive me," Kuvira apologizes on her behalf and pulls Suyin into a hug. Even if she doesn't really like to get touchy with other people, she still does enjoy hugging.</p><p>Su wraps her arms around Kuvira's body and holds onto her tightly, as if she was afraid that she might lose her.</p><p>Kuvira makes the first move to depart from the hug, so Suyin lets go of her. They are both smiling, happy that they were able to work their things out without yelling at each other.</p><p>"Why didn't you come home yesterday? I was starting to get worried, but Opal told me that you stayed at Y/n's place," Suyin asks about yesterday and her question makes Kuvira raise her eyebrows. Opal had told her to leave and said that Suyin doesn't want to see her.</p><p>"Yeah, well I talked with Opal yesterday when I was about to get home. She told me that you didn't want to see me because I hurt you. She told me to leave so I went to Y/n's place because I didn't know where else to go," Kuvira explains yesterday's events and crosses her arms and frowns her eyebrows. "Did Opal lie to me?"</p><p>"It seems like she did. Kuvira honey, I never said that I don't want to see you. I was waiting for you to come home so that we could talk. But then at some point Opal came to me and told me that you wouldn't come home for the night. I got worried but she assured me that you were okay," Suyin lets out a sigh and shakes her head, not wanting to believe that her own daughter lied to her. "I should go talk with her about this. I'm sorry that she said those things."</p><p>Kuvira sways her hand and looks away. "Don't be sorry. She is the one who should be apologizing," Kuvira mumbles and then looks over her shoulder at Y/n, who is playing around with the twins. The scene makes Kuvira smile.</p><p>"You should go. It's already late and the guards are waiting at the train," Suyin says. Kuvira turns to look at the older woman and nods. She then walks up to Y/n and interrupts their little game they're playing. Kuvira gets hit by a rock and when she turns around to look who threw it, Wei and Wing look scared. Kuvira smirks and does a little smooth move with her hand and both of them get hit by small rocks.</p><p>Y/n bursts to laugh as the twins hold their foreheads and groan.</p><p>"Come on, let's go," Kuvira rushes Y/n and they start leaving. "And I am not sorry about your foreheads. Try not to mess around with me next time." she hollers at the two.</p><p>Y/n and Kuvira are quiet for most of the ride to Y/n's place. They don't really know what to talk about. Sometimes Kuvira might point at something and Y/n comments it, but that is all the talking they really do.</p><p>But there is something between them. Something that neither of them can explain, what it really is. They are happy to finally be alone without anyone else to bother them and whenever they look at each other, they make eye contact and smile. But it feels like it's more than just an eye contact or a smile. It is a warm feeling in their chests, a weird feeling in their stomachs and funny tingling at their fingertips. They can't explain what it is, but they aren't complaining about it.</p><p>"Thank you for walking me home," Y/n thanks as they get to her front door. She steps in front of Kuvira and just admires the woman in front of her.</p><p>"I hope this night wasn't too much for you. I know that they can get a little overwhelming, especially the twins. I hope they didn't give you a burnout," Kuvira chuckles and scratches her arm. Y/n just shakes her head and laughs.</p><p>They both go silent for a moment and look away. They don't know what to say or if they are even supposed to say anything anymore.</p><p>"I guess I'll start heading back then. It was really nice to spend this night with you." Kuvira breaks the silence and finally brings her eyes back to Y/n. "Hope I see you tomorrow," she adds and starts walking backwards away from the other woman.</p><p>Y/n plays with the hems of the sleeves of her shirt and looks at Kuvira. "No, wait," she quickly says and walks closer to Kuvira. She stops right in front of her and she hesitates before she gently pulls Kuvira into a hug. She carefully wraps her arms around Kuvira's body and then places her head on her shoulder. Kuvira is confused, but she does the same and leans her head to Y/n's head. She closes her eyes and enjoys the moment that she has with Y/n.</p>
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<a name="section0007"><h2>7. Chapter 7</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>Last time edited: 18.2.2021</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Kuvira can't stop smiling on her way home. The hug definitely made her night a lot better and she considers this night to be one of the best nights she has experienced in a really long time. She loves the feeling of butterflies dancing around in her stomach and the tingling that she can feel in every part of her body. She dances around and enjoys the feelings that she can't explain. She isn't complaining though, she is happy, and this night was filled with a lot of good things.</p><p>When she gets to the Beifong mansion, she is greeted by the guards who are on duty. She nods her head to them and then dances her way inside. Her steps are light as she dances around the hallways, on her way to her room. She will have to say goodbye to it once she becomes a guard, since she has to move out of the mansion then. Suyin never stated when she would actually begin her job, but Kuvira expects it to happen after the year changes, meaning that she has some months left. She knows that she will miss the mansion, but she also acknowledges the fact that things change in life and that change is a good thing.</p><p>On her way to her room, she walks past Opal's room. She can hear her humming in her room, probably getting ready for bed. Kuvira stops and listens. She recognizes the song. It's one of the songs that she has performed to and it brings up good memories. She smiles and leans against the door. She feels miserable that she is constantly fighting with Opal, who is just as misunderstood as Kuvira is. She closes her eyes and remembers the times, when they were younger and did a lot of things together. It breaks her heart to remember those times, because all they do nowadays is fight and yell at each other.</p><p>So, she decides to knock on the door. The humming stops and Kuvira hears the footsteps get closer to the door. She takes a step away from it and waits for Opal to open the door. She slightly opens the door, just so that she can stick her head out of the ajar. When Opal's eyes meet Kuvira's, she is confused. She leans on the door frame and raises her eyebrows at the older woman.</p><p>"Hope I'm not bothering you," Kuvira begins and her mouth arches into a small smile. "Can I come in?"</p><p>Opal hesitates, before she opens the door and lets Kuvira in. She takes a few long steps to get inside the room and Opal closes the door behind her. Kuvira eyes the room, admiring all of the art that is hung on the wall. She then turns around to face Opal, who is just standing near the door, her arms crossed on her chest.</p><p>"What do you want, Kuvira?" the younger woman speaks and lets her arms fall on her sides. She starts walking around her room, continuing her bedtime routines.</p><p>Kuvira takes a step towards Opal. "I want to talk with you. About yesterday." Kuvira's words make Opal freeze. She slowly turns around to look at the older woman but is afraid to look at her in the eyes. "I am not angry with you, okay? I just want to talk about it."</p><p>Opal nervously nods and then sits on the edge of her bed. Kuvira sits next to her but not too close. They don't look at each other. They are waiting for the other one to do the first move.</p><p>"You lied to me and Su. Like I said, I'm not angry with you. I'm just disappointed... Why did you do it?" Kuvira breaks the silence and lets out a long sigh, slightly turning her head to look at Opal. The younger woman is nervously playing with the hem of her nightdress, trying to calm herself down. Kuvira hesitates, before she places her hand on Opal's arm, making the younger one flinch at her touch. Kuvira pulls her hand away. "Sorry, didn't mean to startle you."</p><p>"No, it's fine... Just wasn't expecting it," Opal quickly answers and glances at Kuvira, who seems to be worried. "I... I don't know what I was thinking, okay? I was just angry when Huan told me that his sculptures were destroyed and then mom told me that you two fought... So, I put the pieces together and assumed that you ruined Huan's sculptures out of anger. And I got mad because I thought that you had worked on your anger problems and got over them. I couldn't understand why you acted the way you did."</p><p>Kuvira listens as Opal talks to her. When she is sure that Opal is waiting for her response, she dares to speak. "Yeah, I have to admit that it surprised me as well when I got so angry. It caught me off guard, I do admit that," Kuvira takes a small break, before she continues. "But I didn't mean to hurt Su or Huan. You, if anyone, know that I don't always understand my emotions. You also know that it doesn't take much to make me do things I don't want to do. So yes, I did act out of anger, but I didn't mean to. The situation got out of hand and I take full responsibility of my actions."</p><p>Kuvira turns to face Opal. The younger woman slightly turns her head. "I care about you, Opal. And I care about our friendship. Don't you think it's time for us to finally get over our disagreements and start over? I want my friend back," Kuvira whispers and places her hand on Opal's shoulder, rubbing it gently with her thumb. She smiles and keeps eye contact with her.</p><p>"I guess we can try. I mean it would be fun to have a girl friend. The boys are overwhelming sometimes," Opal laughs and now she is smiling too. Opal takes Kuvira's hand and holds it. She looks down at their hands and chuckles. "When I saw you standing in front of my room, I wasn't expecting to have a calm conversation with you. I was expecting you to come here and yell at me, being mad at me for lying. I'm glad I was wrong about you," she says and brings her eyes back to Kuvira's.</p><p>"I'm really sorry that you have that kind of a picture of me in your head. I hope I can change it over time," Kuvira answers.</p><p>They stay quiet, not knowing what to do or say next. Kuvira then stands up from the bed and walks over to the wall that is covered with art. She smiles when she finds a painting that she had painted when she was younger. Huan had made all of the kids and Kuvira draw or paint something one day and it took Kuvira a long time to come up with something she wanted to paint. She then decided to paint the mountains that surround Zaofu. She didn't know what to do with the finished painting, so she gave it to Opal. She points at the painting and then looks at Opal. "It's a miracle you haven't thrown this away. At one point you hated me so much that you pretended that I didn't even exist and yet you have had my painting on your wall all this time. It appears that you've been my fan all along."</p><p>Opal rolls her eyes and walks to Kuvira. She also looks at the wall filled with art. Most of it is Huan's, some are her own. "I'm your fan only in your dreams," Opal strikes back and Kuvira gives her a grin. "Okay it's a pretty painting, I didn't want to throw it away."</p><p>"I knew it!" Kuvira chants and laughs. She runs her fingers over the painting, along the curves of the mountains and the clouds. She tilts her head and sighs. It was a great day when they were out painting with Huan. "I really loved to spend time with you guys. And I still do. Sometimes I wish to go back to the times when everything was less of a mess," Kuvira admits and then drops her hand to her side.</p><p>Opal looks as the older woman keeps her eyes on the painting. "What is stopping us from doing all of those things again?" Opal suggests carefully, observing how Kuvira reacts to her proposition. Kuvira turns her head to Opal, making eye contact. A smile curves on her lips and Opal can see her eyes sparkle.</p><p>"Right. There is nothing that can stop us," Kuvira repeats what Opal proposed. "That would be nice, wouldn't it?"</p><p>"Yeah. It would be nice, indeed," Opal agrees. They look at each other, smiling. "You remember what else we used to do when we were younger?"</p><p>Kuvira raises her eyebrows, not knowing what Opal is talking about.</p><p>"I used to do your hair. I loved braiding it," Opal reminds Kuvira. She had forgotten about it since it has been so long. "Can I do it again? Braid your hair? I mean don't get me wrong, your low bun is really nice, but it doesn't do justice for your beautiful long hair."</p><p>Kuvira smiles and shifts her weight to her other leg. "I would love that," she accepts. She walks to the bed and sits in front of it on the floor. Opal gets on the bed behind her and sits with her legs crossed. She takes the metal clip off Kuvira's hair and the locks fall on her shoulders. Opal handles Kuvira's long hair with gentle hands, not wanting to pull her hair. She starts detangling her hair.</p><p>"When did you and Y/n meet? It seems like you have known each other for a long time," Opal suddenly asks. Kuvira is glad that she isn't facing Opal, because she smiles bigger when she hears Y/n's name. Her face starts getting hotter and the butterflies in her stomach wake up and start dancing around again.</p><p>"Well, I mean I do remember seeing her around Zaofu all the time, but I didn't know who she was. And I never bothered to ask if anyone knew her. She was always with her parents at their shop or with her friends. I remember once the guards were talking about her. She had just walked up to them and started talking about the most random things ever," Kuvira remembers and lets out a laugh. "She is not a great metal bender, but that is because her illness makes her weak. But Su still let her in our training lessons. And I got to observe her even more... Okay I have to correct myself, she is a great metal bender, she's just not strong. She is a fast learner and I admire that about her. And then one day when I was leaving the hall for a break, she asked me out. That's where it all started."</p><p>Opal listens as Kuvira explains about Y/n. She can hear the excitement and joy in her voice. She has her suspicions, but she doesn't dare to say them out loud. "It seems like you've grown rather close just in a few days. I have to admit, the happiness looks good on you."</p><p>Kuvira chuckles and rubs her knees with her thumbs. "And it feels good, too," she admits.</p><p>Opal braids Kuvira's hair with zero effort and it turns out perfectly. She ties the end and then places the braid over Kuvira's shoulder. The older woman turns around to face her. She smiles and gets up on her knees, not standing up yet. "Opal, you don't even know how much this means to me. Thank you, I mean it," she says as she takes Opal's hands and holds them.</p><p>"This means a lot to me, too. I think that this was the perfect time to make up," Opal agrees with Kuvira. Opal stands up and helps Kuvira up from the ground. "It's late. You should head back to your own room."</p><p>Kuvira nods and lets go of Opal's hands. She takes a few steps towards the door and puts her hand on the door handle. "Good night, Opal. See you in the morning," Kuvira says as she holds down the handle and opens the door.</p><p>"Night, Kuvira."</p>
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<a name="section0008"><h2>8. Chapter 8</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>Uh, a warning: There is going to be some *Baavira* content so beware</p><p>Last time edited: 18.6.2021</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>A week has passed since Y/n had dinner with the Beifong family and Kuvira. After that night, she has been spending a lot more time with the Beifong kids, especially the twins, at her place and they have been out shopping, eating, and doing what normal people do - hanging out with each other and talking about all of the things they can. Because they have been spending so much time with each other, Y/n has learned to separate Wei and Wing from each other. She couldn't tell them apart, so Kuvira had to help her and correct her, whenever she said something wrong. But the twins didn't mind it, they understood it and laughed at her for messing their names up all the time.</p><p>Huan invited Y/n to join him and his siblings to spend an afternoon at the Beifong mansion. She couldn't resist the offer and said yes, being excited to get to know more this young artistic man, who also has an amazing sense of humour but who isn't as bold as his younger brothers.</p><p>Y/n arrives at the Beifong mansion and the second she is about to start walking up the stairs towards the front door, the door flies open, and the twins rush out, Kuvira barely being able to keep up with them. "You came! Come on, let's go!" Wei chants gleefully and grabs Y/n by her arm and yanks her with him, starting to run. Y/n laughs and runs with the twins down the hills to a place where Huan has all of his sculptures on display.</p><p>When Y/n gets there, she is amazed by the place. She is out of breath, but it doesn't seem to bother her when she sees the place. All kinds of metal sculptures are all across the place and she can't take her eyes off them. She snaps back to reality when Kuvira touches her shoulder, making her flinch.</p><p>"Aren't these amazing?" Kuvira asks and smiles. Y/n nods her head and turns to look at the woman beside her. "Come, Huan has been preparing this day for a while," she proposes and slides her hand down Y/n's shoulder to her wrist, gently pulling her with her. They walk to Huan, who is talking with his siblings and explaining what they are going to do today.</p><p>"Good, you're here! We can finally begin," Huan says with joy in his voice. He shows everyone the supplies he has gathered before he starts explaining about their plan for the day to Kuvira and Y/n. "So, Kuvira is already familiar with this, but basically you have two choices: either you paint or draw. It's as simple as that. I am not going to judge your art, even though I will, so just do whatever you want. I just want everyone to have fun and enjoy this day," he explains and the happiness and excitement that he shows is something Y/n has never seen when he has been around her. Huan is usually rather shy and calm, sometimes throwing snarky comments around and laughing at jokes that others don't find funny.</p><p>Kuvira glances at Y/n, to see her reaction to this. And she is surprised when she sees the other woman completely thrilled over this. She can't literally stay put and is already ready to take the supplies she needs and begin this artistic journey ahead of her. The view is hilarious and calming at the same time. The way that Y/n can't help but move her hands around and clap out of excitement, the way that her cheeks get all red due to her smiling so hard and the corners of her eyes slightly arching upwards make Kuvira smile and let out a laugh. Y/n hears this and turns her head to look at Kuvira. "What is so funny?" She asks and makes eye contact with Kuvira.</p><p>"You seem so happy. And the way you are happy, makes me happy," Kuvira explains and now she can't control her smile anymore. Her eyes wander around Y/n's face, from her red cheeks to her arched lips back to her eyes. The way this woman makes her feel is astonishing to her and she can't really understand what it is or why this is happening to her. Her heartbeat starts racing everytime she sees her and whenever she even thinks about her laugh or smile, she can't help but smile herself. "Let's begin," she says to distract herself from the emotions and grabs some supplies.</p><p>Y/n takes some pencils and paper with her, following Kuvira. They sit beside the pillars and the Beifong kids follow them. "What are you going to draw?" Kuvira asks as she is setting her painting stand.</p><p>"I don't really know. I am not very artistic when it comes to this type of art," Y/n answers as she plays with her pencils. She has a concentrated look on her face when she is looking at the blank paper in front of her on the ground.</p><p>Huan walks up to her and sits next to her. "Don't think about it too hard. You can draw whatever you want, it doesn't have to be anything special. Just draw the first thing or image that pops into your mind. It can be an object, a memory or a wish or a dream you have," he helps her and smiles at her. She looks at him and her eyes go to his piercing over his left eyebrow before she brings her eyes to his. She smiles and nods.</p><p>"Okay, maybe I'll come up with something." She adjusts her sitting position and soon she finds herself lying on her stomach on the cold, hard concrete. She supports her head with her hand and taps the pencil on the paper, thinking about all of the alternative things she wants to draw. She slightly takes a look at Kuvira, who is already working on her painting and concentrating. She gently drags the brush over the canvas and takes more paint as she starts to run out of the color. Y/n can't help herself but to notice Kuvira's hands, especially her fingers. They are holding onto the brush with a gentle grip. Her hands are a thing she thought she would never be attracted to, but she has proven herself wrong. Kuvira notices that Y/n is staring at her, so she stares back at the other woman, who doesn't notice this.</p><p>When Y/n notices Kuvira staring at her, she blushes and quickly looks down at the blank paper, trying to hide her blushing. She hears Kuvira chuckling, which brings even more embarrassment to her. She tries to shake off the feeling by picking up the pencil and taking it over the paper, starting to draw something to distract her.</p><p>She ends up drawing mountains and a sunset. It's nothing much, it's not detailed and it's definitely not anything fancy, but she is having fun drawing it. She observes it and thinks that it is missing something, but she doesn't know what. "I can't figure out what I should add to it, it just seems empty in the middle," she speaks up and then looks at Kuvira for help. She turns the paper to face her and raises her eyebrows.</p><p>Kuvira takes the drawing and looks at it. "Draw some people in it. Or animals," she suggests and hands the paper to Y/n.</p><p>"I suck at drawing humans. Like I don't understand how you or Huan can do that stuff. It's impossible!" Y/n cries and lies her head on the concrete.</p><p>"What is impossible?" Says Baatar jr., who joins them and sits down next to Kuvira. Y/n sits up and lets out a frustrated sigh.</p><p>"Art! Drawing people!" She complains and her misery seems to be funny to Baatar, who starts laughing at her. He looks down at her drawing and then back up at the woman.</p><p>"Just draw stick figures. That's what Wei and Wing do all the time," he says and then brings his eyes to Kuvira's painting. It's a painting of the river they hung out for the first time.</p><p>"Hey! Stick figures are art too!" The twins yell in unison, making everyone laugh at them. They cross their arms and stick their tongues out, pretending to be hurt by Baatar's comment.</p><p>Y/n shakes her head and chuckles, bringing her attention back to her drawing. Stick figures. That's what she starts working on and now she is back to lying down on her stomach. She is concentrated when she draws two stick figures sitting by a bonfire. She writes <em>"Our Adventure"</em> under the figures and then she draws two arrows towards pointing at the figures with <em>"Kuvira"</em> and <em>"Me"</em> written at the tails of the arrows. She cracks up at the piece of art she has created and turns the paper around so that no one else can see it.</p><p>Kuvira notices this and raises an eyebrow. "What is so funny? What did you do?" She asks and can't help but laugh too, even though she doesn't know what Y/n is laughing at.</p><p>When Y/n refuses to show the drawing, Kuvira quickly leans over and snatches the drawing. The moment she reads what's written on the paper she also cracks up and covers her face with her hand. "Y/n what is this? Is this us?" She asks under her laugh and looks down at Y/n.</p><p>"Well, obviously! Can't you see the mark under the other figure's eye? That's you!" Y/n points out. Kuvira looks at the drawing again and now she notices that the figure who is sitting at the right side of the bonfire has a beauty mark under the right eye. "Also, it has arrows pointing at the figures with our names on them. I thought you could read."</p><p>Kuvira turns to look at Y/n and grins. She slightly moves her fingers, bending a small piece of rock off the ground and shooting it at Y/n's forehead as a way to venge herself after Y/n made fun of her. "Ow! You want to fight? Okay let's fight!" Y/n growls as she jumps up and is already in her fighting stance. Kuvira only laughs at her, not believing that the other woman would actually attack her. But she is surprised when Y/n bends out a rock of the size of her fist and shoots at her. Kuvira barely dodges it, but the rock hits the pillar next to her, cracking it. She looks at the pillar and then stands up.</p><p>"Hey, come on, I was just playing around," Kuvira tries to get herself out of this situation, but she is met by another rock that almost hits her face. She frowns her eyebrows and also takes a fighting stance.</p><p>They don't get to fight for long when Baatar jr. and Huan stop them. "What are you doing? And stop ruining my pillars!" Huan interrupts them as he is taking turns looking at Y/n and Kuvira.</p><p>"She started it!" Kuvira defends herself.</p><p>"You threw a rock at me!"</p><p>"You insulted my ability to read!"</p><p>"Okay enough!" Baatar interferes and lets out a sigh. "Y/n, I am sure that Kuvira didn't mean any harm when she threw that rock at you. Okay? Now calm down," Baatar tries his best to calm the situation and for his and Huan's fortune, they do calm down.</p><p>Y/n takes her drawing and looks at it. She is about to rip it up, but Kuvira stops her by grabbing her wrist. "Don't. I didn't mean to be mean. I do love it," she whispers and gives Y/n a gentle smile. Their eyes meet and for a moment Y/n hesitates before she smiles briefly. "Tell me more about it, I want to hear what's the meaning behind this drawing."</p><p>They sit down and Baatar and Huan also stay to hear the story behind the drawing. "Well obviously it's us. This is from a dream I have - our adventure. I imagine us sitting by a bonfire when the sun is setting behind the mountains and we are happy. We are happy to be where we are and happy to be together. We are talking about all of the things we have already experienced and what we want to experience," Y/n explains about her drawing and whenever she is talking about a specific detail, she points at it with her finger.</p><p>"Wow. Wasn't expecting that. But I love it!" Kuvira says and leans against Y/n, resting her head on her shoulder. Baatar looks at the two under his eyebrows and crosses his arms.</p><p>Kuvira's words make Y/n happy. "You can have it," she quietly says as she gives the drawing to Kuvira. She takes it and looks at it for one more time before she puts it aside and looks up at Baatar.</p><p>"Why are you looking so grumpy? Are you mad that she didn't include you in her drawing?" Kuvira smirks and then stands up, walking beside Baatar. The young man blushes and looks away.</p><p>"No. I was just wondering how long we are going to be down here? I was hoping to show you the latest project father has made me work with, since Opal is hanging around the twins," he murmurs and then looks over at the twins, who are painting with Opal at the other corner. He brings his eyes to Kuvira, who has her eyebrows raised.</p><p>"Uh... I guess we can go now," she says confused and briefly eyes at Y/n. "I'll be back soon, don't leave before I come back, okay?" Y/n nods and then Baatar and Kuvira leave together.</p><p>Opal notices this and walks over to Y/n and Huan, who are left all by themselves. "Where are they going?" The young woman asks as she is looking after the duo.</p><p>"They are going to look at some project father has given to Baatar. He basically stole her from us!" Huan scoffs and crosses his arms.</p><p>"Well, that's a bummer. I can stay with the two of you if you don't mind?" Opal requests and smiles at the two. Y/n turns to look at the young woman and returns a smile.</p><p>"That would be nice."</p><p>Baatar and Kuvira are walking the halls of the Beifong mansion, going to his workshop where he is working on the projects his father gives him. They don't talk, so the hallways are filled with the sound of their shoes touching the floor.</p><p>Kuvira can't bear the silence anymore, so she stops and looks at Baatar. "Why did you ask me to come with you? Why now?"</p><p>Baatar also stops and turns around to face Kuvira. He walks up to her and places her hand on her cheek. "Because I miss you, Kuvira. We don't get to spend much time together," he speaks as his eyes lie on Kuvira's lips and he is rubbing her cheek with his thumb. "Don't you miss me?"</p><p>Kuvira shrugs her shoulders. "Baatar, of course I miss you. But we were together this morning and I just want to spend some time with my friends."</p><p>"I know, but I am your boyfriend, I deserve to hang around with you as much as they do," Baatar whines and takes a step closer to her, closing the gap between them. He places his hand on Kuvira's lower back and pulls her closer. "I want to be able to do this..." He leans over and brings his lips to Kuvira's, closing his eyes.</p><p>Kuvira closes her eyes and wraps her arms around Baatar's neck. When she breaks from the kiss, she leans her forehead against Baatar's and looks at him. "I get it," she whispers and rests her head on his shoulder.</p><p>"What are you two cuddling here?" The voice startles both of them and Kuvira breaks up from the hug to see a familiar person standing behind her, smirking at them with her arms crossed. "I didn't know you two were together, how adorable," Suyin comments.</p><p>Baatar clears his throat and his cheeks are visibly red from embarrassment. Kuvira covers her face with her hand and lets out a sigh. "Suyin please don't tell anyone about this," Kuvira begs and dares to meet Suyin's eyes.</p><p>"Oh, don't worry, I won't tell anyone what I just saw. Though it would be juicy to tell..."</p><p>"Mother!" Baatar yells and Suyin just laughs at him, flicking her hand.</p><p>"Yeah yeah, I won't tell," she assures them and then brings her eyes back to Kuvira. "I was looking for you, but the others said that you left to check on a project. I assume that was a lie. But anyway, I wanted to talk with you, Kuvira. Come with me to my office."</p><p>Kuvira is confused, once again, but starts walking after Suyin. She looks at Baatar and smiles at him, waving her hand as a bye. He raises his hand a little and watches as she disappears behind the corner with Suyin.</p><p>Suyin closes the door to her office and sits on the couch. She looks at the model of Zaofu and smiles. Kuvira sits on the other couch on the other side of the model, keeping her eyes at Suyin. "What did you want to talk about?"</p><p>"About your job at the security team. I have some news for you," Suyin begins and leans at the back of the couch. "One of our guards retired and there is a spot available. I thought you might be interested to start your duty earlier than we had already discussed."</p><p>Kuvira takes her time to process what Suyin offered her. If she takes this opportunity, she won't have time for Y/n and Baatar and she would have to give up the thought of an adventure. So, she shakes her head. "I can't. I don't want to disappoint you, but I just can't take the offer. I am sorry," Kuvira explains.</p><p>"Why not? I thought you wanted this job." Suyin stands up and walks over to her desk. </p><p>"Because I don't want to. As much as I am honored by this opportunity, we made a deal. I will start my duty as a guard and a member of the security team when the year changes. There are months left of this year and I would like to spend some time with my friends and... Baatar," Kuvira elaborates her decision and turns around to look at Suyin. "I wouldn't be able to go on an adventure with Y/n either," she adds.</p><p>"Enough with the adventure! Stop dreaming about it so much, we don't even know if Y/n can be healed. Kya will come here next week, so when she confirms Y/n's status you can bring up the topic again. Until then, don't even think about it," Suyin argues and faces Kuvira. "I know you care about her but stop feeding her false truths. You don't know if she'll be able to go."</p><p>Kuvira shakes her head and stands up too. "Suyin, you already gave us permission. We have been talking about this because you told us that we can go," Kuvira argues back.</p><p>Suyin doesn't really know what she is supposed to say back. She sighs and takes a step closer to Kuvira. "I know. I just don't want you two to be hurt if this doesn't go the way you wanted," she calms herself down. "But I still want you to think about my offer."</p><p>"I don't have to think about it. I have already decided," Kuvira states. "I don't want to become a guard until the year changes. End of discussion," she finishes and walks to the door, opening it and leaving Suyin's office, heading back outside to be with Y/n and the other Beifong kids.</p><p>Being a guard has been Kuvira's biggest dream since she started training with Suyin. It is still one of her biggest dreams but hanging out with Y/n has changed her mind a lot. She has realized that life should be about more than working and staying in one place. She has realized that she wants to travel the world and see places she hasn't before. She has realized that she wants to be with her, Y/n.</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>Yeah so uh I am sorry guys :D</p>
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<a name="section0009"><h2>9. Chapter 9</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>Trigger warning: Mentions of death</p><p>Last time edited: 18.2.2021</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>A cold breeze flows through Zaofu in the morning when the domes open up and reveal the five sectors of the state of Zaofu. Fall has arrived and the weather gets colder every day and the colors are starting to change from green to rust. When the rays of the sun hit the metal surfaces of the buildings, they create different variations of orange, red and pink, occasionally rainbows too. Some people are already up and ready for a new day. Y/n is also ready for a new day, though she hasn't even slept for a second. She is sitting on the roof of her apartment, swinging her legs over the edge, and admiring the morning golden hour that gives everything a soft hue.</p><p>She couldn't sleep last night. She heard that Kya will be arriving next week, and she is too excited about it. But what brings her down and kept her up last night was her worsening condition. She is out of her medicine and she can't go and get more, not wanting to take any risks of catching any bacteria. She is going to call Suyin as soon as possible, but at an appropriate hour. She doesn't want to collapse again.</p><p>"What are you doing up there?" Asks a familiar voice and when Y/n looks down, she sees Sachin standing in the middle of the street with his hands in his pockets. Seeing the young man brings a smile to her face.</p><p>"Just thinking about life. And admiring the morning sun. But mostly thinking about life," she responds. "I am also killing time while waiting for the appropriate time to call Suyin. I ran out of medicine a few days ago and I am not feeling so well."</p><p>Sachin pulls his hands out of his pockets and crosses his arms across his chest and shifts weight to his other hip. "Are you okay? Do you want me to stay with you?"</p><p>"No, I'm fine all by myself. But... I'm not okay. I have this very heavy feeling on my chest, like someone is pressing it down or crushing my lungs from the inside. My throat hurts everytime I take a breath and even talking hurts. I feel like I'm out of breath all of the time," she explains and closes her eyes. She takes a deep breath, and it stings her throat, like there were spikes in her throat stabbing her when the air flows in. "Yep, still hurts like a mother."</p><p>"I'm sorry to hear that. It's devastating to see you this way again, you have been so happy for the past week. I wish there was something I could do to help you." The young man lets out a sigh and shakes his head. "If anything happens or you need something, just call me. I'm always here for you," he adds as he is starting to make his leave.</p><p>Y/n opens her eyes to look down at Sachin. She smiles at him and tilts her head. "I know that," she says and waves her hand slightly, saying goodbye. The young man waves back and then turns around to walk away. Y/n lets out a sigh and looks up at the mountains and the sun that is slowly rising.</p><p>She swings her legs over the edge and turns around, standing up. She stands on the roof, letting the air play with her hair. She closes her eyes again and enjoys the cold breeze. When she opens her eyes, she turns around to take a look at the other sectors. She looks at the sector that is closest to her sector. The big training halls and the large areas for training are something that she always dreamed about. She always wanted to be able to train with her peers and one year, her parents let her. She was in the same lessons as Kuvira and she had caught her eye right away. They trained together for a few years, before Y/n had to isolate herself in her apartment for a really long time before she got permission to finally go back. She wasn't the same though, as she had gone weaker and almost lost the ability to bend. But even if she wasn't able to bend, she could always watch Kuvira and admire how dedicated she was to her training.</p><p>She lets out a sigh and then looks at the biggest sector, the Beifong estate that is behind the other sectors. She wonders, if Kuvira is awake. She would love to see her face and have her around, but unfortunately, she won't be able to do that.</p><p>Kuvira walks around the Beifong mansion, barefoot. The cold floor brings cold shivers all around her body and she wraps her arms around herself, trying to warm herself up. It turns out to be pointless because she doesn't see any change in her body's behaviour. Then she feels warm, strong arms wrap around her and pull her closer. She smiles and turns around to face the person hugging her. It isn't a surprise that the person is Baatar jr. "Morning," she whispers and rests her head on his chest. He holds onto her tighter and smells her hair.</p><p>"Good morning to you, too. Hope you slept well," he whispers back and slightly strokes Kuvira's braided hair that Opal had braided last night. He hears satisfied humming and looks down at the woman he is hugging.</p><p>"Yeah, I did sleep pretty well. Even though what Suyin told me yesterday was kind of shocking. For my surprise, I fell asleep rather fast," she answers and departs from the hug. She holds Baatar's hands and rubs them with her thumbs.</p><p>Baatar returns a smile and gives her a peck on her right cheek, right under her mark. "She just wanted to be nice. But it is your choice when you take the job."</p><p>Kuvira chuckles and lets go of Baatar's hands, heading to the dining hall. "I know. I also know that Suyin will not let go of this easily. Neither am I..."</p><p>Suyin and Baatar sr. are already sitting around the table in the dining hall. The older woman makes eye contact with Kuvira, who sits next to her at the left corner, which is usually Wing's regular seat. She nods her head and gives her a subtle smile.</p><p>"Good morning to you two," Baatar sr. greets them and puts his elbows on the table, holding his hands.</p><p>"Morning, dad," his son responds. Kuvira only gives him a nod and looks around. She wants the others to already come in, so that the chef would bring them breakfast.</p><p>Before she can ask about the whereabouts of the others, Suyin opens her mouth first. "Kuvira, you should start packing your things. I got you the apartment in the guards dormitory and you are moving there today since you will be starting your duty tomorrow." Kuvira doesn't want to believe what Suyin just told her. She clenches her fists under the table and the smile on her face fades away.</p><p>"Suyin, we talked about this yesterday. I don't want the job. Not now. We had a deal," she speaks through her teeth and glares at the older woman.</p><p>"Yes, we did, but I think it's best if you start your job as soon as possible. We can't have the spot open for too long, we need all the guards to secure Zaofu's safety and security. And you are supposed to join the security team," Suyin reasons and frowns her eyebrows. "You have been working hard for this moment for years. Why are you turning it down?"</p><p>Kuvira feels a rush of rage flow through her body and it makes her slam her fists on the table. The sound startles the men, and they are debating whether or not they should leave the room or stay to make sure that the women don't murder each other. "I want the job, yes! But not now. I told you yesterday that I have months left and I want to spend those months with my friends. I don't care what you think about the adventure, we are going to talk about it with Y/n. You can't stop us. Even if it doesn't happen. I want to make her feel as comfortable as possible and just have fun. Is that too much to ask?"</p><p>"I understand that you want to be with your friends. But you knew from the start that once you become a guard you won't have much time for friends. You brought this to yourself," Suyin answers Kuvira's argument.</p><p>"I can't deal with this crap, not now," Kuvira speaks up and gets up. She exits the dining hall, leaving Baatar jr. with his parents. She has been fighting with Suyin so much that she is fed up with it. She stomps her way to her room and slams the door shut behind her. She is not going to pack her things, even if Suyin threatens to kick her out of the house.</p><p>Kuvira paces around the room, fists clenched, and eyes closed, trying her best to not go back and fight. Because fighting is all she seems to know nowadays, and it is exhausting. She can't bear the feeling of rage inside of her, the constant shaking out of anger and the intrusive thoughts she gets when she is around other people. She hates to feel this way.</p><p>She doesn't get to be alone in her room for long when she hears a quiet knock on her door. She turns to face the door, opening her eyes. She doesn't know if she imagined it or if someone is actually behind the door. But then she hears the knocking again. She hesitates before walking up to the door and opening it, finding Suyin standing in the hallway. Kuvira is about to slam the door shut, but the older woman stops her by putting her foot between the door. "What do you want?" Kuvira hisses and opens the door.</p><p>"I got a call from Y/n." Hearing her name makes Kuvira snap out of her current emotion rush. Her frowned eyebrows relax, and she isn't clenching her fists anymore. "She needs help. She told me that her condition is getting worse again and she is out of medicine. Would you go to the pharmacy to get her what she needs? You have a day off today," Suyin tells her.</p><p>Kuvira gets anxious hearing about Y/n's condition dropping. "Y-yeah sure. Anything. Just give me a list of what she needs, and I'll get them." She stumbles with her words and Suyin can see stress and fear in Kuvira's eyes and body language. Her body is stiff, her hands are trembling, and she is panting.</p><p>Suyin hands her a piece of paper that has everything Y/n needs. "When you get back, we'll talk," she adds and then walks away. Kuvira peeks her head out of her room and watches as Suyin leaves. She then looks down at the paper that she is holding.</p><p>Kuvira gets off the train and she is greeted with a cold breeze. Her whole body shivers and she wraps her robes tighter around her. She looks around for a while to navigate where she exactly is and where she can find the pharmacy. She doesn't really leave the Beifong estate except for training and if she is meeting up with Y/n. So, this is all rather new to her. She starts walking around and it doesn't even take her long to find the place she is looking for. She realizes that the pharmacy is really close to Y/n's place, Suyin probably planned it that way so that she could have easy access to her medicine. But apparently it wasn't enough.</p><p>She enters the pharmacy. She walks to the counter and waits for a moment for the pharmacist to show up. And when he does, he is wearing a big smile on his face. "Good morning! What can I get for you?"</p><p>"Hi, Suyin told me to get these medicines for my friend," Kuvira says as she hands over the paper. The pharmacist takes the paper, eyes through it, and then looks at Kuvira with his eyebrows raised.</p><p>"Suyin sent you? Who are these for?" He asks and leans his hands against the counter.</p><p>"My friend, Y/n. She lives around the corner," Kuvira answers and then points outside.</p><p>The pharmacist nods his head and then looks down at the paper again. "Yeah, I know her. These medicines are the worst, though. I don't understand why the doctors make her take these," he mumbles as he walks to the back. Kuvira heard his comment but didn't say anything.</p><p>After a moment of waiting, the pharmacist comes back and loads the medicine on the counter. Now Kuvira realizes, how much medicine Y/n actually has to take to stay healthy. She is ready to pull out her wallet, but the pharmacist holds up his hand to stop her. "Suyin has already covered these. You just have to deliver these to Y/n. If she needs all of this, her condition must be really bad," he interrupts her and makes eye contact with her.</p><p>Kuvira gives him a smile and gathers the bottles and boxes into her bag. "Thank you," she thanks and bows, before she leaves the shop. When she gets outside, she looks around a bit, before she heads to Y/n's apartment.</p><p>She doesn't have to walk for long to get there. She knocks on the door and takes a step back as she waits for the door to open. But Y/n doesn't open it. She knocks on the door again, thinking that Y/n just didn't hear the first time she knocked. But nothing happens. She presses her ear against the door to hear if she is doing something in there, but she hears nothing. She walks up the window and tries to see inside, but the blinds are shut. "Y/n? Are you in there? It's me, Kuvira!" She yells as she keeps on knocking on the door.</p><p>"What are you doing?" She hears from behind and when she turns around, she sees Sachin. A feeling of relief goes through her body as she sees the young man.</p><p>"I'm supposed to give Y/n her medicine. But she's not opening the door. Do you know if she's home?" Kuvira explains and takes a few steps towards Sachin.</p><p>He looks behind Kuvira, at Y/n's apartment, and raises his eyebrows. "I saw her a while ago. She was on the roof and we talked a bit," he says and then brings his eyes to Kuvira's. "Can't you check if she is in there through the ground? You know when you slam your foot on the ground to see through it?"</p><p>Kuvira raises her eyebrows. She didn't even think about that. "Right. Hold on a second." She closes her eyes and takes a wider stance. She then lifts her left leg and slams it to the ground, creating an image in her head about her surroundings. Then she sees it. Her. Y/n is lying on the floor of her apartment and she seems to be unconscious. Kuvira opens her eyes and looks at Sachin. "She's in there, but she is unconscious. We need to get in there, now!"</p><p>Sachin doesn't hesitate a second, before he walks up the door and kicks it open with one kick. He rushes inside, Kuvira right behind him. The apartment is dark and quiet, and Y/n is lying on the ground, her fire ferret Ozai curled up right next to her head. When the animal notices Kuvira and Sachin, he starts making all kinds of noises and running around Y/n. Sachin kneels next to Y/n and rolls her over to her side, pulling her to his lap. He brings his hand on her cheek and then on her neck, checking her pulse.</p><p>"She's alive, but her body is too hot. We need to get her to the doctor," he says as he turns to look at Kuvira, who also kneels down. She brings her trembling hand to Y/n's cheek and gently strokes it. The skin is red and hot, damp due to all of the sweat. Her eyes are widened, and her mouth is open. "Did you hear me, Kuvira? We need to get her to the doctor!"</p><p>She raises her head to take a look at Sachin, whose eyes are bugged out and Kuvira swears to spirits that she can see tears in his eyes. "I heard you. Come on, let's go." She lets go of Y/n's cheek and gets up. Sachin picks up Y/n and they head out of the apartment in a hurry, running towards the closest hospital that is on the other side of the sector. A few guards notice them, and they run up to them.</p><p>"What is going on? What happened to her?" They ask and their eyes are on Kuvira, whom they already know.</p><p>"We found her in her apartment, unconscious. I was bringing her the medicine she needs," Kuvira shortly explains and keeps her eyes on Y/n. "We need to get her to a doctor as fast as possible. She is very sick, and we don't want anything to happen to her."</p><p>The guards exchange looks and then look at the trio. "We can give them a call to let them know you're coming," the other one says and picks up the radio he is carrying. When he gets a hold onto someone in the hospital, he explains the situation. "You can go," he rushes them after he ends the call.</p><p>"Thank you!" Kuvira and Sachin leave and run to the other side of the sector. There are two nurses waiting outside the hospital, ready to take Y/n in. They take her from Sachin's arms and carry her inside, where doctors are waiting and ready to take her to the other room. Kuvira and Sachin follow them, but at some point, they are stopped, and they can't go any further.</p><p>"It's better if you stay on this side," one of the nurses says before closing the door and leaving Kuvira and Sachin standing there, without knowing if their friend is going to be okay.</p><p>Sachin is the first one to walk away from the door to sit on a chair. Kuvira follows him and sits next to him, not daring to look in his direction. They sit in silence and wait in agony.</p><p>It feels like the time has stopped. Everything seems to take forever and whenever either one of them looks up at the clock on the wall, it doesn't seem to move any forward. But they have been there over an hour now, and nothing has come up yet. No one has told them anything and the whole hospital is quiet.</p><p>Kuvira slightly glances at Sachin, who has his chin against his chest and his hands are resting on his lap. His right leg is shaking and tapping the floor. "Can you stop that? It's annoying," Kuvira comments and points at his leg. Sachin glares at her and stops.</p><p>"This is taking too long. I want to know what's happening," he murmurs frustrated and stands up, walking to the door and pressing his ear against it. A nurse notices this and walks up to him, pulling him away.</p><p>"Young man, you have to be patient," she says, but Sachin doesn't seem to care. He shakes off the woman's hand and looks at the door with a blank expression on his face.</p><p>"She's my best friend. I don't want her to die," he whispers, and his voice breaks mid-way the sentence. The nurse doesn't know what to do, so she looks around and makes eye contact with Kuvira, who just shakes her head and shrugs her shoulders. The nurse walks away and Kuvira stands up. She walks up to Sachin and hesitates before putting her hand on his shoulder.</p><p>"Sachin, listen," she starts, and her voice makes Sachin look at her. "She'll be fine. She has to," she whispers with a shaking voice. She is surprised when Sachin hugs her and wraps his arms around Kuvira. She doesn't really know how to react to this, so she gently places her hands on his back and pats him, trying to comfort him. He cries on her shoulder and is shaking. "She's going to be fine... We are going to be fine..."</p><p>Another hour goes by and they are sitting on the chairs again, sometimes pacing around the waiting room. When Kuvira is about to stand up again to walk around, the door suddenly opens. A doctor comes out and looks at them. They stand up and take a step closer, wanting to hear the news.</p><p>"Is she okay? Can we see her?" Sachin asks.</p><p>The doctor smiles at them and lets out a chuckle. "We managed to stabilize her condition and we have contacted her parents and Suyin. She is awake, if you'd like to go and talk with her," the doctor tells them the news and when she sees the pure joy in Kuvira and Sachin's faces, she can't help herself but smile even bigger.</p><p>"Thank you, doctor!" Sachin jumps around and lets out a sound that doesn't even sound like it came out of a human. Kuvira shakes her head and laughs. They rush into the room where Y/n is, and she is surrounded by nurses and doctors. As soon as they enter the room, the nurses and doctors leave and close the door behind them. Y/n is lying on the bed and she doesn't look good. But she is alive and awake and that is enough for Kuvira and Sachin, at least for now.</p><p>Y/n sees the two and a smile appears on her face, making her look more alive. Sachin rushes to her side and hesitates before holding her hand. Y/n squeezes his palm and looks up at his eyes. Then her eyes travel to Kuvira, who is still standing at the door, pondering whether or not she should get any closer. Y/n makes eye contact with her and then holds out her hand, wanting Kuvira to take it and hold it. Kuvira smiles and walks closer, taking Y/n's hand and holding it gently.</p><p>"I'm sorry you had to find me like that," Y/n speaks up and breaks the silence in the room. Sachin and Kuvira exchange looks and then laugh.</p><p>"Don't be sorry. We are glad that we found you." Sachin shakes his head, and a tear runs down his cheek. Y/n reaches her hand and wipes the tear away.</p><p>Then she turns to look at Kuvira, who has been quiet all of this time. "The doctors told me that you were at my apartment to bring me some medicine... Thank you, Kuvira," she whispers and tightens her grip of Kuvira's warm hand.</p><p>Kuvira smiles and lets out a chuckle. "I just did what I was asked to do," she whispers back, keeping her eyes on Y/n's tired, red eyes.</p><p>Sachin clears his throat and Kuvira turns to look at him. He has his eyes on her and his eyebrows are raised. "Do you... Do you two want to be alone for a moment? Because I can go and get us some food," he suggests.</p><p>"Sure. But you don't have to bring me any, I'll head back to the Beifong estate when you come back," Kuvira says and Sachin nods his head and lets go of Y/n's hand. He walks out of the room and leaves the two women there by themselves.</p><p>They look at each other. Kuvira sits down on a chair next to the bed. "How are you feeling?" Kuvira asks.</p><p>"Like someone hit me with a rock million times and then decided to shove the rock down my throat, making me unable to breathe and then turned the rock into a lava, burning me from the inside. Shortly: I feel like crap," she explains and looks down, breaking their eye contact. She brings her free hand to her throat and rubs it with her thumb gently. "I'm glad Kya will come here in a week."</p><p>Kuvira's smile fades away. "I don't even want to know, how many times this has happened to you before. It must be hard, not knowing when you'll collapse again. I'm sorry that you have to live like this." She tries her best to comfort the other woman and it seems to be working. Y/n brings her eyes back to Kuvira's and her mouth is arched into a smile.</p><p>"Thanks. But I don't want to talk about it. Let's change the subject," she proposes. "So... You and Baatar jr? How did that happen?"</p><p>Kuvira is baffled. The question makes her speechless and she doesn't really know what to say. "How... How do you know about that?"</p><p>"Opal told me."</p><p>"And how does she know?"</p><p>"Wei and Wing told her."</p><p>"And... Okay I'm not even going to ask," Kuvira says in embarrassment, covering her face with her hand and sighing.</p><p>Y/n sits up and lets go of Kuvira's hand. "Isn't he supposed to be your brother? Doesn't that... Bother you at all?"</p><p>A hot wave rushes through Kuvira's body and her face starts getting hotter and redder. "We aren't siblings... I am not Suyin's adoptive daughter, only her protege..." She tries to explain her way out of the situation and is too embarrassed to even look at Y/n anymore. "Can we, uh, not talk about this?"</p><p>"No, I want to know everything! Otherwise, I have to ask Opal and the others what is going on. So, tell me, how did you end up dating? How long have you two been together?" Y/n asks.</p><p>Kuvira pinches the bridge of her nose, right between her eyes. She lets out a sigh and shakes her head. "We have always been close, even when we were kids. Then it just happened. We care about each other, a lot. There was nothing special about it, it just happened," she explains and looks at her hands. "We've been together for three months now."</p><p>"Yeah, it's not going to last," Y/n comments and sits with her legs crossed, her elbows leaning on the sides of her knees. "Sorry to break it to you."</p><p>"What do you mean?" Kuvira frowns her eyebrows and crosses her arms across her chest, looking straight to Y/n's eyes.</p><p>Y/n shrugs her shoulders and laughs. "I'm just messing around with you. Don't take me seriously."</p><p>Kuvira shakes her head and lets out a short breath. Fortunately, Sachin walks in and rescues her from the awkward situation. She stands up and leaves the bag with the medicine on the ground. She then turns to look at Y/n. "Bye," she whispers and leaves the room and then the building.</p><p>Kuvira walks around the mansion, heading towards Suyin's office. She wanted to talk, so Kuvira is here to talk. When she reaches the office, she quietly knocks on the door and when she hears Suyin's voice, she walks in. She closes the door behind her and sits down on the couch. Suyin is sitting across her, her legs crossed and her back leaning against the back of the couch.</p><p>"Is Y/n alright?" Suyin asks after a moment of silence.</p><p>Kuvira raises her head and looks at the older woman sitting across her. "For now," Kuvira answers shortly. She isn't really in the mood to talk right now, not after she was living in fear for hours, not knowing whether or not her friend would make it.</p><p>"I'm glad you were there," Suyin comments. She isn't here to talk about Y/n, so she leaves the subject behind. "About your duty. Are you completely sure about your decision?"</p><p>"Yes I am. We had a deal and I expect you to respect it," Kuvira responds, frowning her eyebrows and keeping eye contact with Suyin.</p><p>The older woman can see that Kuvira is frustrated. She doesn't want to push her too far to the edge. "Very well. I will find someone to cover the job for you until the year changes. But with one condition," Suyin says, rising one finger up. "You try your best to make Y/n feel good. I want to see that girl happy and like I said before, you seem to be able to do that."</p><p>A calm feeling fills Kuvira and she sinks in her seat, relaxing. Her mouth curves into a smile and her eyebrows are relaxed, the corners of her eyes decorated with subtle wrinkles. "I'll do that. I promise you, Suyin, that if we get to go on our adventure, I will be back before the year changes. And I promise you that I will serve you as well as I can." She stands up and walks to Suyin. She sits next to her and wraps her arms around the older woman's neck, burying her face in the crook of her neck.</p><p>"It's settled then..." Suyin whispers and holds onto Kuvira, pulling her closer and closing her eyes.</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>Okay so I finished my re-watch of the legend of korra a few days ago and while I was watching season three I noticed a lot of things about Zaofu that I had just completely forgotten... For example the different sectors and how they are connected... So long story short, I edited some previous chapters to match my knowledge of the damn state so sorry if something you read before didn't make any sense :D</p><p>Also follow me on tumblr to get some updates regarding this story; <a href="https://kuviras-btch.tumblr.com/">Kuviras-btch</a></p>
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<a name="section0010"><h2>10. Chapter 10</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>Last time edited: 18.2.2021</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>The previous week has gone past too slow. Every day feels like it lasts ten hours longer than usually and that sometimes time goes backwards instead of forwards. Suyin has been talking with Y/n quite a lot through the radio and one day Kuvira found out about this. She hasn't talked to her in a week and she really wants to hear her voice. So Suyin decided to let them talk, even though they are going to meet tomorrow.</p><p>"You wanted to talk with Y/n? I have her on the line. Talk as long as you want," Suyin walks into Kuvira's room, holding onto the portable radio. Kuvira jumps off the bed and runs to her, grabbing the radio and then turning on her heels to face Suyin. She has a big smile on her face.</p><p>"Thank you, Suyin!" She gleefully thanks the older woman, who then leaves the room. Kuvira takes the radio and holds it up to her ear. She is excited. "Hi, Y/n. How are you doing?"</p><p>Y/n chuckles at the way Kuvira starts the conversation - it is lame, and she can hear that her voice is trembling out of excitement. "I have been better. But Kya is coming tomorrow so I guess I can survive this night," she responds, and the sound of her voice makes Kuvira's heart pound and the smile on her face grows bigger. She takes the portable radio with her and sits on her bed, crossing her legs and leaning against the wall behind her.</p><p>"Do you know what time they'll arrive?" Kuvira asks and plays with the cord of the radio.</p><p>It sounds like Y/n is going through papers before she can answer Kuvira's question. "Uhh... Here it is! Suyin told me that they'll be here in the morning. They will pick me up and I will come with them to the Beifong estate."</p><p>"I get to see you?" Kuvira breathes and the expression on her face changes. Her lips are parted, and her eyebrows are relaxed. Her eyes are on her fingers that are playing with the cord and she nervously waits for Y/n's answer.</p><p>She hears a chuckle from the other end of the radio. "Yeah, you do."</p><p>Kuvira sighs and smiles. "I'm glad. This past week has been exhausting and not being able to talk with you or have you in my presence kind of sucks."</p><p>"Yeah, but you have Baatar. Aren't you supposed to be with him? You know, your boyfriend?" Y/n teases and laughs. She can't believe that a gorgeous woman who has an amazing boyfriend is yearning for her.</p><p>Kuvira clears her throat and brings her hand to her cheek. Her face is starting to get hot. "Shut up. He is busy and I don't want to bother him. I have been with Opal, though. I have been teaching her some basic self-defence moves, since she doesn't want to feel so helpless."</p><p>"She is such a nice young woman. And I'm glad you two figured your things out. It's not fun to live with someone who you don't get along with," Y/n mumbles and lets out a frustrated sigh.</p><p>"You have some experience with that?" Kuvira inquires.</p><p>Y/n groans and is quiet for a while before answering. "Kind of. My adoptive parents have a biological son, Kiran, you might know him since he is a guard. He never liked me and when I grew up, we were constantly arguing and literally fighting. He is also a bender and he is a strong one. I was told that he did indeed like to have a little sister, but when he found out that I was sick he suggested that my parents would give me up. He didn't like that I got all of the attention. When he moved away, everything became a lot easier and if I'm going to be totally honest with you, I don't miss him. We haven't spoken in years." Kuvira can hear the pure frustration and disgust in Y/n's voice. The way she said her brother's name was as if it was a curse word.</p><p>"That's a bummer. But yeah, I know Kiran. He always seemed so nice and he was sometimes assisting Suyin at our lessons. It appears that I was wrong about him. But why didn't you ever tell me that you had a brother?" She asks more questions, wanting to know more about this brother of Y/n's.</p><p>"Because he's an asshole! I thought it was obvious. Also, I don't consider him to be my brother, he was more like a... Roomie. I don't know. I also had forgotten about him," Y/n explains.</p><p>Kuvira shakes her head and sighs. "That sounds harsh. You forgot your own brother?"</p><p>Y/n is starting to get frustrated with Kuvira's questions about Kiran. "He's not my brother! He probably doesn't remember me either or thinks that I am dead."</p><p>"Why don't you talk with him? I'm sure he has grown up," Kuvira suggests with precaution and hopes that Y/n won't take it the wrong way.</p><p>"Kuvira no, I will not talk to him. He is a high-tier-level asshole, and I won't be the first one to initiate an apology," Y/n grunts and it sounds like she is walking around her apartment with heavy steps, going through shelves and then going back to where she was. Kuvira waits for a good time to respond.</p><p>"Alright then, it's your choice after all," Kuvira gives in, not wanting to make Y/n any more frustrated than she already is.</p><p>There is a moment of silence between them because Y/n actually didn't really listen to what Kuvira told her. She hopes that it wasn't anything important, so she decides to change the subject of their conversation. "Yeah. But anyway, I'm happy that Kya will be here tomorrow. I can't wait to feel good again."</p><p>"And I can't wait to see you. I..." Kuvira stops and brings her hand to her mouth, pondering whether or not she should say it.</p><p>"Yes?" Y/n asks and waits for Kuvira to continue her sentence.</p><p>"Nothing. I'm just glad to be able to see you tomorrow," Kuvira panics and then covers her face with her palm, quietly hitting her forehead and closing her eyes. She mouths to herself "Kuvira you're an idiot!"</p><p>"Yeah," Y/n hums and she seems to be calming down.</p><p>Before Kuvira can say anything else, Opal knocks on her door and opens it, peeking her head through the ajar. She calls for Kuvira, who opens her eyes and looks at the young woman at the door. "Hold on a second, Opal is calling for me- What? I'm talking with Y/n. Now? Ugh, I guess? Fine. Okay now shoo, I'll be there in a minute- Sorry about that. I have to go with Opal, she wants to show me a trick she learned from the twins. I have to make sure that she won't break her neck or something," Kuvira explains and lets out a nervous laughter.</p><p>"That sounds fun. Maybe she'll show me the trick tomorrow, I want to see it. And if it's not too hard I want to learn it too." Y/n chuckles and Kuvira smiles at her suggestion.</p><p>"I'll tell her that... I guess we'll talk tomorrow," Kuvira makes the first move to end the call.</p><p>Y/n lets out a sigh but understands that Kuvira has to go. "Yeah. Then I'll have the chance of stealing you away from Baatar once again. Beware, I might wreck your relationship," she teases and Kuvira can <strong>hear</strong> that she is grinning. She can only imagine the face Y/n has on her face right now.</p><p>"Go ahead, it won't work," she proudly teases back.</p><p>Kuvira hears a loud laugh at the other end. "Challenge accepted," Y/n declares.</p><p>Kuvira chuckles and then lets out a sigh. "I should go, Opal is waiting for me."</p><p>Y/n sighs too and gives in. "Okay. Bye, see you tomorrow!"</p><p>"Bye," Kuvira whispers and then puts down the radio. She looks at the portable radio with a slight smile on her face. The fact that she got to hear Y/n's voice a day earlier than she thought brings a lot of joy and tranquillity into her day.</p><p>She lets out a sigh and closes her eyes. "I really missed you..."</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0011"><h2>11. Chapter 11</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>Trigger warning: Mentions of death and killing</p><p>Hi, if you follow me on Tumblr you know that I made a playlist for this story. Here's the link:<br/><a href="https://open.spotify.com/playlist/6YhzkNw5ahlLHVj3ARWjmg?si=K9IZwWvlS3ebbEgjdhy67Q">Dancing With Kuvira playlist</a></p><p>It is mostly for fun (and for myself) but you can listen to it if you want. </p><p>For more updates regarding my story, follow my tumblr. Like yesterday, I posted about this chapter and told that I will be posting it later. So if you want updates and don't mind other shit I post follow me:  <a href="https://kuviras-btch.tumblr.com/">Kuviras-btch</a></p><p>Last time edited: 18.2.2021</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>The morning is cold and the breeze that flows through the mountains around Zaofu brings shivers all around Lin's body. She wraps her arms around her body and Kya lets out a chuckle, hugging the younger woman and resting her head on her shoulder as they reach the front gate of Zaofu. They stand still as they wait for the heavy gates to open up. As they take their time to open up fully, a man with light-green robes steps out, two guards walking beside him, on either side of him. The man is holding his own hands, as he walks closer to Kya and Lin.</p><p>He stops in front of them and bents his back slightly as he bows. "Good morning, ladies. I am Aiwei and I will be taking care of you for this morning," he greets them and shows them a slight smile. Kya and Lin respond with a bow.</p><p>"It's nice to meet you, Aiwei. I am Kya and this grumpy freezing lady next to me is my wife, Lin," Kya introduces herself and points at Lin, who rolls her eyes and then lies them on her wife, raising her eyebrows. "What? You are grumpy and freezing." Kya shrugs her shoulders and smiles widely and pokes Lin's ribs with her elbow.</p><p>Aiwei keeps a subtle smile on his face, as he watches the two. "We should get going. I am sure Y/n is already up and ready to go," he suggests and turns around on the balls of his feet. He walks towards the gates with long, feather-like steps. The other guard stays behind with Kya and Lin and escorts them into the monorail that is waiting for them. Lin is happy to finally be able to warm up her body. Her teeth are still clattering, and she rubs her arms as she sits down.</p><p>Kya is more used to the cold, so she wraps her arms around Lin's shoulders and pulls her closer. "I told you to bring a jacket with you. You don't need to wear your uniform all of the time." Kya doesn't get an answer, Lin only looks away and the corners of her mouth are slightly curved downwards.</p><p>It is still early, so the domes are up and only a few people are up and out. When they go through the city, Kya can't help herself but to stand up and stand near the window, admiring the city. She is amazed by all of the tall buildings that aren't as enormous as the ones in Republic City, but they surely are more beautiful. She loves all of the small homes that people have and what catches her eye the most is the fact that the city is clean, and everything seems like it is new. The people of Zaofu clearly take care of the city.</p><p>Kya has her mouth slightly open and can't take her eyes off the view. She feels a light tug on her hand and when she looks down at her hand, she notices Lin holding onto her hand. "Kya, we are going to be here for a few days. You will get to see everything. Just sit down before you fall and hurt yourself," Lin mumbles and pulls Kya towards herself. Kya smirks and sits down next to Lin. She holds tighter Lin's palm and brings it to her lips, giving it a light kiss. Lin pulls her hand away and looks away, but Kya isn't blind, she can see the blush on Lin's face.</p><p>The monorail stops at the sector where Y/n lives. Aiwei gets up from his seat and steps out of the monorail. Kya and Lin decide to follow him, they want to meet Y/n too. When they get outside, it's not as cold because of the closed domes. Lin isn't a fan of cold and the metal around her body doesn't help the situation.</p><p>The three of them walk on the empty, quiet streets of the sector. It is dark and the dim lights are the only thing that lights up the streets. They arrive at Y/n's apartment and the lights are out and the blinds are closed. "Aww, this is a cute little house," Kya gleefully comments Y/n's apartment and a smile never leaves her face. She looks around and is once again surprised by how clean the city is.</p><p>Aiwei doesn't waste any time as he walks up to the door and knocks three times. His knocks are loud and heavy, and it wouldn't surprise anyone if Y/n's neighbours also woke up because of this. He takes a step back and waits for Y/n to open the door. It takes her a few moments, but she finally peeks her head out of the ajar. Her eyes are still half-closed, and it is obvious that she was sleeping. Kya can't help herself but to laugh and bring her hand to her mouth.</p><p>"Well, it appears someone is not a morning person," Lin mocks and crosses her arms over her chest, shifting weight to her other hip.</p><p>Y/n lets out a frustrated sigh and steps outside, rubbing her eyes. "Actually, I am. It's just... My medication. That stuff really messes up with my head," she explains and tries her best to keep her eyes open as she leans against the cold wall behind her. She brings her eyes to Aiwei, who is looking at her with his eyebrows raised. "It's time to go, am I right?"</p><p>"Yes, you should get changed," he gives her a short answer as he eyes her from head to toe.</p><p>"What, so you mean I can't wear my nightwear? Boring." Y/n rolls her eyes and spins around, heading back inside. It doesn't take her long to get ready and she steps out after a few moments, this time in her Zaofu robes. Her hair is a mess, and it looks like she hasn't brushed it in weeks, not that it would be a complete lie. She walks past Aiwei, who has his eyes on her hair, and she can sense this. "If you even dare to comment my hair, I swear I will murder you," she threatens and glares at him with frowned eyebrows.</p><p>Lin sticks close to Kya and leans over at her ear. "Someone is grumpy," she whispers, talking about Y/n who is walking ahead of them.</p><p>Kya looks at her wife with a grin on her face. "Reminds me of someone. This is nothing I can't handle," she whispers back and speeds up her walking pace, catching up Y/n. She walks beside her in silence for a moment and then turns her head to look at her. "Are you excited for your first treatment?" She asks with caution.</p><p>Y/n slightly rotates her head to take a look at Kya. She shows her a slight smile and nods. "Yeah, I can't wait to get rid of my medication," she answers but then the smile fades away and she looks down at her feet. "But I'm afraid this won't work. I want it to, but what if it doesn't?" Y/n brings her back to Kya and fear is the first thing Kya notices.</p><p>"Then it doesn't work. There is really nothing else I can say to you. But I promise you, I will try my best. I won't leave this place until I have tried everything," Kya reassures her and places her hand lightly on Y/n's shoulder, gently rubbing it with her thumb. She gives her an encouraging smile and then pulls her hand away, not wanting to be too intruding.</p><p>They step inside the monorail and sit down, Aiwei sitting across Y/n. He wants to keep an eye on her, she doesn't seem so good. And he is correct. As soon as Y/n leans her head against the window behind her, her eyelids start getting sloppy and she has a hard time keeping them open. It appears that the medicine she has to take, really does mess up with her head and makes her sleepy. She is on the verge of falling asleep, when she hears a loud noise, or to her it is loud, making her flinch and open her eyes wide open. She sits up and tries to locate where the sound came from, but nothing seems to be out of ordinary. She breathes heavily through her mouth and holds onto her seat with her hands.</p><p>Aiwei is now truly worried and he leans over.  "When was the last time you fell asleep without medicine?" He asks and Y/n has a hard time bringing her eyes to meet Aiwei's. He reaches out his hand and places it on her knee.</p><p>Y/n drops her head and shakes it, frustrated about the situation. She hasn't slept well in a long time and she knows that it is because of her medicine. Sure, they make her fall asleep, but the quality of her sleep has dropped increasingly.  "I don't remember. A week? A month?" She rests her head on her hand and looks at Aiwei. He has a worried look on his face - his eyebrows are slightly frowned, and his eyes are looking straight into her soul. She knows he is a truth seer, so she can't lie to him. She has tried it in the past and it has become obvious that no one can fool him.</p><p>"I am sorry to hear that. I am also sorry for being away for too long, maybe I could've helped you more," he says and pulls his hand away, leaning back at the wall behind him. He crosses his legs and places his hands on his knee. He is observing Y/n and remarks that her skin is paler than usual. Her skin has a subtle blue tint to it, and she doesn't even seem alive anymore.</p><p>Y/n shakes her head and slightly smiles. "No, it's fine, you have helped me enough," she says and tilts her head. "And I thank you for that. I appreciate everything you have done for me and all of the things you taught me."</p><p>Aiwei nods his head and closes his eyes for a moment, before raising his head to look at Y/n again. "I was only doing what I thought was best in the situation. I know you've been through a lot. I also hope you will use the information you have on your adventures in the future," he reminds her and smirks.</p><p>Kya gets invested in the conversation as soon as the word "adventure" pops up. She leans over with a smile on her face. "Adventure? Tell me more about it," she asks.</p><p>Y/n gets shy about the question. This hasn't happened to her before and it confuses her. She doesn't dare to look at Kya, so instead she looks down at her lap and picks the skin of her hands. "Well, uh... My biggest dream has always been to go on an adventure and travel around the world. My friend Kuvira promised to accompany me if I ever get to go," she elaborates the subject and carefully glances over at Kya, just enough to meet her blue eyes. She seems so kind and safe to be around and it relaxes her and now she is looking at her direction with her lips curved into a smile.</p><p>"I have travelled around the world. I never really liked to stay in one place, until I met Lin. But still, I sometimes miss all of the adventures I had! Maybe we can exchange stories in the future, once you come to visit Republic City," she proposes and lets out a laugh that warms up the atmosphere inside the monorail. Y/n nods and quickly eyes at Lin, who is sitting next to Kya.</p><p>"We have a plan with Kuvira. Our first destination is the Kyoshi island and from there, we are going to the Fire nation. From there, we will get to Republic City. We have a tight schedule, but I think we can make it," Y/n tells more about her plans.</p><p>"How tight schedule?" Kya inquires.</p><p>Y/n has to think for a moment and count in her head before she answers the question.  "Kuvira has three or four months left before she is supposed to join the security team. We had to cut our route a lot shorter to keep up with the schedule."</p><p>Kya sways her hand and chuckles. "Well, that doesn't seem so bad. I'm sure you'll make it. When you get to Republic City, you are more than welcome to stay at the Air Temple Island."</p><p>The smile on Y/n's face gets bigger if that is even physically possible. "That's so nice, thank you."</p><p>Y/n looks out of the window behind Kya and notices that they have arrived at the Beifong estate. The monorail stops and they all stand up, ready to go outside. "Ah, we are here," Aiwei comments and stretches out his arms.</p><p>For their surprise, almost all of the Beifongs are outside waiting for them, including Kuvira, who is standing beside Baatar jr. Y/n doesn't hesitate a moment when she runs past Aiwei, Kya and Lin to Kuvira and pulls her into a hug. She wraps her arms around the taller woman tightly and closes her eyes as she leans her head against Kuvira. "I missed you," she whispers into Kuvira's shoulder.</p><p>Kuvira wraps her arms around the other woman and gently pulls her even closer. She is glad that the feeling of missing each other wasn't one-sided, as she had been afraid of. She lets out a chuckle. "I missed you too," she whispers back. After a moment of hugging, they depart, and Y/n takes a few steps back to take a good look at Kuvira's face. The dim lights highlight her face in the most interesting ways and creates shadows on her face. "It's nice to have you back here," Kuvira adds.</p><p>"Yes, it is, I'm glad to see you again. Are you excited?" Suyin speaks up and Y/n turns her attention to the older woman.</p><p>She scratches the back of her neck and lets out a nervous laughter. "Nervous," she answers shortly. She can see from the corners of her eyes the twins, who are standing on her left. They are looking at her with excitement in their eyes and bright, lively smiles on their faces. She turns to look at them and crosses her arms over her chest. "Oh, you two want a hug too?" She asks with a grin on her face and one eyebrow raised up. The twins rush to her and scoop her into a hug, almost crushing her. "Ok, I should've guessed it," she admits and laughs, hardly being able to breathe.</p><p>Suyin laughs at the sight. "Okay boys, don't crush her. Let's go eat some breakfast so that Kya can get to work," she says, and the twins let go of Y/n and start running inside, competing which one is faster. To distract each other, they throw rocks around and try to sabotage one another. The others laugh at them and Lin keeps asking Kya how they are so full of energy this early in the morning.</p><p>They all sit around the big table, eating the food while chatting with their neighbors. It doesn't take long for the dining hall to be filled with laughter and chatter.</p><p>Kya leans over the table to talk to Suyin. "This food is delicious!" She announces and points at the plate in front of her. Suyin laughs at her, because Y/n had said the exact same thing when she was at their place the first time.</p><p>Lin rolls her eyes, and she lets out a short, harsh breath through her nose. "Kya, you think all food is delicious."</p><p>"No, I don't. I like <strong>most </strong>food, not <strong>all </strong>food. There is a difference," Kya argues back and looks at her wife who is sitting next to her.</p><p>"Yeah whatever, same thing," Lin mumbles and sways her hand.</p><p>Suyin smiles at her sister and supports her head with her hand. "Lin, how is work? Are you busy?"</p><p>The question alone brings goosebumps up to Lin's spine as she is remembering the current state of Republic City. "The avatar keeps me busy with her friends. There is no time for me to rest."</p><p>"The avatar? She's in Republic City?" Y/n gets interested in the conversation and leans over to hear better. The dining hall gets quiet and everyone has their eyes on Lin, who has her arms crossed and shoulders up to her ears. She seems irritated.</p><p>"She arrived a week ago. She got arrested the first day. Apparently, she had run away from the Southern Water Tribe. Not a surprise though." Lin shakes her head and looks around at everyone. She doesn't like the fact that all of the attention is on her.</p><p>"She sounds fun, I might have to get to know her," Y/n comments as she has her mouth full of food.</p><p>Kuvira also steps into the conversation. "Isn't she supposed to be training? What is she doing in Republic City?"</p><p>Lin lets out a frustrated sigh and throws her hands in the air. "She is impatient. That's all I can say."</p><p>"But she is a nice young girl. Tenzin on the other hand, is trying to keep her all the time in the Air Temple Island. It's like she is a prisoner." Kya brings up her perspective of the situation and eyes Lin.</p><p>"It's better that way, she should stay away from my city," Lin grunts and continues eating.</p><p>Suyin laughs and shakes her head. "Don't be so mean. She just wants to explore the new world after being in the Southern Water Tribe for seventeen years."</p><p>"She has already run off multiple times, she is irresponsible." Lin glares at her sister for a flying moment, before looking down at her plate.</p><p>"Oh Lin, you mean to tell me you never ran away from home when you were younger?" Kya tries to release the tension in the dining hall. She smirks at Lin and gently pokes her with her elbow.</p><p>Y/n lets out a chuckle and slightly looks away. "Juicyy..." She quietly scoffs while covering her mouth and the comment makes Kya laugh.</p><p>"Shut up kid," Lin fires back and frowns her eyebrows. Y/n can't help but laugh.</p><p>Aiwei isn't a fan of bickering, so he decides to interrupt the conversation. "Okay, maybe we should talk about something else," he says and looks around the table. He stops at Suyin and looks at her eyes. "Suyin, do we have everything ready for Kya and Y/n? And Kya and Lin's guest house?"</p><p>Suyin nods and smiles, turning her eyes to Kya. "Everything is ready. We cleared up a room for Kya and Y/n to have some peace. There should be everything you need," she explains.</p><p>Kya returns a smile. "Thank you."</p><p>Aiwei finishes with his meal and stands up. He turns to face Kya and Lin, holding his hands behind his back. "Alright, I'll show you your guest house and then you can get to work." He walks to the entrance of the dining hall and waits for Kya and Lin to follow him. They do so and they leave.</p><p>Y/n turns to look at Kuvira, who is sitting at the other end of the table. "Kuvira," she whispers, but Kuvira doesn't seem to notice her. "Kuvira!" She whispers louder and this time Kuvira hears her. She turns to look at her and leans over the table. "Will you be here when I am done?" Y/n asks and raises her eyebrows.</p><p>Kuvira shrugs her shoulders. "Probably. I have dance practise today, but I'll try to come back in time," she answers. "I should start getting ready. We need to leave with Suyin in a moment," Kuvira adds and stands up, walking to Y/n. She places her hand on her shoulder and smiles.</p><p>Y/n looks up at her and a smile forces its way to her lips. "Okay, I'll see you later then," she says. Kuvira nods and drops her hand.</p><p>"Yeah, see you later."</p><p>Kya and Y/n enter the room that Suyin provided for them. The room has dark green walls and one window that throws shadows of different shapes around the room. There is a bed and a table with supplies for Kya. Y/n closes the door behind them and looks around the room. "Alright, just lie down on the bed. If it's not too cold you can take off the top layer of your robes," Kya instructs and hovers around the table, making sure she has everything she needs. She places a bowl with spirit water in it on the table and then turns to look at Y/n.</p><p>"Sure," Y/n gives a short answer and pulls the top layer of her robes over her head, placing it at the other end of the bed. She lies down on the bed and looks up at the ceiling.</p><p>Kya takes a step closer to her and bends the water, bringing it over Y/n's body. "Okay, here we go," she talks to herself and starts moving the water over Y/n's body. She frowns her eyebrows when she finds something she wasn't expecting to find. "Holy spirits..."</p><p>Y/n raises her head to look at Kya. "What? What is it?" She asks.</p><p>"I... I am not sure. But I can tell you, you aren't sick because of an illness," Kya shortly explains and continues to examine Y/n.</p><p>"What do you mean?"</p><p>Kya sighs and shakes her head in disbelief. "It seems like you're sick because you were poisoned. I don't understand. How long did you say you have been sick?"</p><p>"We found out about it when I was three. But my adoptive parents told me that they saw the symptoms right away, but it was confirmed later," Y/n answers the question with a shaking voice. She can't believe that she was poisoned.</p><p>"This is terrifying and fascinating at the same time. You have been sick for your whole life, and you're nineteen. Either the poison sucks, you're strong, the medicine slowed it down or the poison wasn't meant to kill you right away," Kya ponders out loud and makes eye contact with Y/n for a short moment, just to see how she is reacting to this.</p><p>Y/n swallows nervously and rests her head on the pillow. She looks up at the ceiling again and shakes her head slightly. "That's scary actually... Who would poison a baby?"</p><p>"I don't want to make assumptions, but maybe your real parents did it?" Kya suggests and a moment of silence follows the question.</p><p>Y/n has to think before she answers. The option sounds something that actually could've happened. "Could be. They didn't want me so they probably poisoned me so that it would seem like I just died. But when it didn't work, they just gave me away."</p><p>"If that's the case, I want to find those bastards," Kya mumbles and lets out an enraged breath of air through her nose.</p><p>Y/n doesn't know what to think. She is quiet for a moment, before speaking up again. "So... Can you get it out?"</p><p>"For our fortune, it is a liquid, so I can get it out. But it is deep in your organs, it has even reached your brain. This might take hours and it is going to hurt," Kya warns and stops what she is doing. She puts away the water and looks at Y/n, who brings her eyes to Kya.</p><p>"I don't care if it hurts. I want it out," Y/n insists and takes a deep breath.</p><p>Kya nods her head. "Okay, I'll try my best. Just... Try to keep yourself calm. Close your eyes if that helps."</p><p>"Shouldn't be a problem," Y/n whispers and closes her eyes, letting Kya start removing the poison in her body.</p><p>Kya walks into Suyin's office, where Lin, Aiwei, Suyin and Kuvira are talking. Suyin is the first one to notice Kya, who is visibly exhausted. She sits down on the couch next to Lin and rests her head on her shoulder.</p><p>"Where is she?" Suyin asks and whatever they were talking about before is now long forgotten.</p><p>Kya lets out a chuckle and closes her eyes. "She fell asleep. I left her there, I didn't want to wake her up."</p><p>Kuvira straightens her back and keeps her eyes on Kya. "Did you figure out what is wrong with her?"</p><p>"Okay you might want to mentally prepare yourself for this one," Kya begins and opens her eyes. She looks down at her hands that are resting on her lap. She takes a deep breath before she continues. "We found out that she hasn't been sick because of an illness. She has been sick because she was poisoned. The poison was already deep in her organs and it had spread to her brain. I think the poison was created so that it doesn't kill her right away, but to slowly eat her from the inside and give her a slow, painful death," she explains about what she found, and the room gets dead silent.</p><p>Suyin brings her hand to her mouth. "Oh my... Did you get it out?"</p><p>Kya nods her head. "Most of it. We have to do another round tomorrow. I spent all of my energy when removing the poison and I could really use some rest," she groans and lets her head fall back.</p><p>"Will she be alright?" Kuvira quietly asks. She is holding her hands nervously.</p><p>"I hope so. I don't know how her body will react to not having the poison in her system no longer. To her, it might even feel weird to not have it inside of her. But I am sure she will be fine," Kya reassures and looks at Kuvira, who is sitting across her and smiles.</p><p>A relieved sigh leaves Kuvira's mouth. "Thank you, Kya. You're an angel."</p><p>"Meh, just a healer," she responds jokingly and laughs.</p><p>When Y/n opens her eyes, it takes her a moment to remember where she is. She takes a look around the room and then she remembers. When her eyes wander around the room, she realizes that more light is coming inside, meaning that the domes are finally down.</p><p>She doesn't see Kya anywhere. "Kya?" She calls, but she doesn't hear a response. "Kya, are you there?" She calls louder and tries to sit up. The whole room starts spinning around in her eyes and she collapses on her back. "Woah, ok, not going to sit up," she talks to herself and brings her hand to her forehead.</p><p>The door opens and someone steps in. For Y/n's surprise, it is Lin. "You awake, kid?" The older woman asks and closes the door behind her.</p><p>"Where's Kya?" Y/n asks and tries to sit up again but gives up when she feels like she is about to throw up.</p><p>"She's in Suyin's office. Are you okay?" Lin walks closer and places her hand on Y/n's forehead.</p><p>Y/n shakes her head. "No. I feel like I am going to throw up and my head hurts. The room is spinning and my whole body is burning, and it stings everywhere," she stumbles over her own words as she is trying to fight the growing lump in her throat.</p><p>"Do you want me to get Kya?" Lin asks worriedly.</p><p>"No... I just want to get home... I want to sleep in my own bed..." She breaks down to tears and covers her eyes with her hand, the other one instinctively finding its way to her throat.</p><p>"Hey... Don't cry. I'll take you to Kya," Lin says as she helps Y/n to sit up. She takes Y/n's arm and throws it around her neck, supporting her back with her other arm. "Okay, come on. Oh, don't fall." Lin helps Y/n get up from the bed and when her feet touch the ground, she almost collapses. Lin tightens her grip of her and supports her more, starting to walk to the door.</p><p>"No, just take me home. I want to go home," Y/n cries and tries to break loose from Lin's strong grip.</p><p>Somehow Lin manages to walk Y/n close to Suyin's office, but they don't get all the way there when Y/n's legs give out and she falls to her knees on the floor. Lin puts her down and lets the young woman rest her head on her lap. "Kya! I need a little help here!" Lin yells. Kya rushes to the hallway, the others right behind her.</p><p>"What happened?" Kya asks as she gets to them.</p><p>"She can't stand. She says that the room is spinning and that she is going to throw up. She wants to go home," Lin shortly explains what Y/n told her a few moments ago.</p><p>"I don't think that is a good idea," Kya says as she is holding Y/n's head between her hands. Her body feels hot and she is pale.</p><p>Y/n opens her eyes slightly and looks at Kya's blue eyes. Tears start falling out of her eyes once again. "No please... I want to sleep."</p><p>Kya raises an eyebrow. "I thought you were sleeping?"</p><p>"I want to go home," Y/n avoids the question and shakes her head, trying to sit up. Kya pushes her back down.</p><p>Kuvira gets down and looks at Y/n. "You can sleep in my room. That way we keep an eye on you," she suggests and Kya glances at her. She gives her an approving nod.</p><p>"Home..." Y/n mumbles and it is clear that she isn't really aware of her surroundings anymore.</p><p>Kuvira takes Y/n into her arms and with Lin she helps her to stand up. "I'll take her," Kuvira says. "Ok, come on, my room isn't far away."</p><p>After a moment of walking around the hallways, they finally get to Kuvira's room. She helps her to the bed and Y/n sits down. "It's getting too hot, I need to take off my clothes," Y/n mumbles and stands up with shaking legs, throwing off her robes. She is left with underwear and she falls back on the bed.</p><p>"Hold on, the door is open," Kuvira panics and is already turning towards the door but Y/n stops her by taking her hand.</p><p>"I don't care. If someone happens to see me then they see me. Not my problem," she mumbles and lies down on her bed, worming her way between the sheets and resting her head on the pillow. "Your bed is soft. And you have a nice blanket," she comments and strokes the fabric of the blanket with a smile on her face.</p><p>"Sleep. Kya will get the rest of the poison out of you tomorrow. You need to rest," Kuvira chuckles and tucks Y/n in.</p><p>"The pillow smells like you..." Y/n ignores everything Kuvira said to her and chuckles.</p><p>Kuvira sighs and shakes her head. "Probably because it is my pillow."</p><p>"This is nice..." Y/n keeps on talking and Kuvira is starting to think if she is drunk.</p><p>"Hey, sleep. I'll come back to check on you in a few hours," Kuvira begs and brings her hand to Y/n's cheek. She gently strokes it, and the touch of her hand seems to calm Y/n.</p><p>Y/n's eyes meet Kuvira's. "Thank you, Kuvira..."</p><p>Kuvira smiles. "You're welcome," she responds. It only takes a few seconds before Y/n is completely asleep. Kuvira can't take her eyes off of her. Her eyes examine Y/n's face, and she catches herself staring at her lips for too long. Her face gets hot and she pulls her hand away. "I am glad you'll be okay," she whispers.</p>
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<a name="section0012"><h2>12. Chapter 12</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>Trigger warning: Mentions of death</p><p>Last time edited: 18.2.2021</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>She can't open her eyes. She can't move a muscle. Her heart is pounding against her chest and she has a hard time breathing. The lump in her throat grows bigger every second and she feels her throat closing in. Cold sweat falls down her forehead and her body is overheating. The nightmare woke up Y/n, but it didn't leave her alone. It takes her good five minutes before she can open her eyes and look around her. The room is dark, only little light from outside gets in through the window. She is alone in the room.</p><p>She sits up and covers her face with her hands and breaks down to tears, after holding them in for too long. She curls her fingers into fists and hits her head a couple of times before she lets her hands fall to her lap. She looks at them and shakes her head, she can't understand the reason for her nightmare. To her, it makes no sense.</p><p>To distract herself from the situation, she shifts the blanket aside and stands up. She picks up the top piece of her robes and pulls it over her head. It covers her body enough. She walks across the dark room to the door and opens it, leaving the room. The floors of the hallways are cold and when her bare feet touch the floor, they send shivers up to her spine. She wraps her arms around herself and starts walking around, trying to find out if anyone else is awake.</p><p>When she gets closer to Suyin's office, she hears quiet chatter, and it gets louder with every step she takes. When she gets to the doorway, she sees Kuvira, Kya, Lin, Suyin and Aiwei sitting around the model of Zaofu, talking about something related to Kya's travels around the world.</p><p>Kuvira is the first one to notice Y/n standing in the doorway. At first, she has a smile on her face, but then she notices that Y/n's hair is wet because of sweat and that her face has a red tint to it. Y/n walks in and now it is visible that she is shaking. Kuvira stands up and starts walking towards her. "Hey, are you alright? What are you doing awake?" She asks as she reaches her hand to Y/n's face, brushing a few strands of her hair behind her ear.</p><p>Y/n tries to swallow the lump in her throat and shakes her head. Her lips start trembling and she looks down at her feet. "No... I had a nightmare," she whispers, and her voice breaks as she starts choking on the lump. She turns her back to them and covers her face with her hands. Kuvira brings her hands to her shoulders and gently squeezes them. Y/n reaches her other hand towards her shoulder and places it over Kuvira's palm.</p><p>They stay like that for a few minutes before Y/n is ready to turn around and face Kuvira again. "I just want to distract myself for a moment, ok," she says and Kuvira gives her a reassuring smile and nods. They get in the office and they sit down on the couch.</p><p>Suyin leans over and her eyebrows are frowned, giving her a concerned look. "How are you feeling? I called your parents earlier and they were shocked to hear what Kya found," Suyin asks.</p><p>"You told my parents?" Y/n answers the question with a question and raises her eyebrows. "I mean it's fine, I was just expecting that I'd have to do it myself. But thank you. And uh... I'm doing fine, I guess. My head still hurts, my body feels like it's on fire and I feel like I'm going to throw up. But I can stand, and my head isn't as fuzzy as it was before."</p><p>Kya hasn't taken her eyes off of Y/n ever since she walked in and now that she hears that she is hurting, she gets up and is ready to go get something that might help her. "Hold on a second, I'll get something that'll make you feel better."</p><p>"No, don't. I just... I just need fresh air and distraction," Y/n insists and when her eyes meet Kya's, she smiles and tilts her head. Kya nods her head and sits down next to Lin, who wraps her arms around Kya.</p><p>Kuvira rotates her head to look at Y/n. "Let's go outside then," she suggests and stands up, holding out her hand for Y/n to take. "Come on."</p><p>Y/n chuckles and takes Kuvira's hand and stands up. "Okay."</p><p>They walk in silence around the hallways towards the main entrance. When they get outside, Y/n takes a deep breath to fill her lungs with fresh air and she closes her eyes as she is doing so. Kuvira eyes the woman beside her and a subtle grin finds its way to her lips. She lets out a quiet chuckle and she sits down on the stairs leading to the main entrance. Y/n sits down next to her and for a while they are quiet, before Kuvira decides to break the silence. "So, tell me about the nightmare. What was it about?"</p><p>Y/n is looking down at her hands that are resting on her lap and she is pondering whether or not she should explain about it. She doesn't want to weird out Kuvira. "In the nightmare... There are three figures that are dressed in all black and I can't see their faces. Then there is this little girl. She is facing them, and she is holding onto this sky bison toy, but she drops it, when the three figures start approaching her. She can't run, she can't do anything. She is just standing there and when the three figures get to her, they close her into an embrace and then the girl... Dies. They drop her to the ground, and I see her face - it's me. It's me when I was younger," she pauses and tries to hold back the tears. "The figures see me and start coming towards me but then I wake up. I don't understand why I saw that nightmare. Obviously, it is about death, but I am not afraid of death, so it makes no sense to me," she explains and shakes her head.</p><p>Kuvira looks at Y/n's side profile and sighs. "Maybe it's not true. Maybe you do fear death," she carefully proposes, and it makes Y/n slightly turn her head and look at Kuvira's face.</p><p>"I accepted it a long time ago. I have been ready to die since I was six. Aiwei taught me that death is not the end and I'm not afraid of it," Y/n explains and shrugs her shoulders.</p><p>Kuvira raises her eyebrows. "Aiwei? I didn't know you two had met before," she asks.</p><p>Y/n chuckles and a smile curves to her lips. "I actually spent quite a lot of time at the Beifong estate, at Aiwei's place especially, when I was younger. He has an amazing library and after I had gone through the city library, he let me read the books in his library." She smiles bigger when she remembers the times, she spent at Aiwei's house, reading books, and sometimes falling asleep. "He would even go all the way to other states to buy me books that I can read. He was like the cool uncle I never had."</p><p>"That sounds nice. But... If you spent a lot of time here, how come I never saw you?" Kuvira asks another question.</p><p>"Like I said, I was at Aiwei's place. He was the only adult besides Suyin who my parents trusted and when they were busy with their shop, Aiwei would take care of me and let me hang around in his house," Y/n explains further. Kuvira just nods her head. "I actually remember meeting Baatar jr. once when I was reading. He came to look for a book, but he couldn't find it. I asked if he needed any help and when he told me which book, he was looking for, I knew exactly what he was looking for and where to find it. So, I brought it to him, and he gave me a quiet 'Thank you' and just left."</p><p>Kuvira is rather confused, if that is the correct word to describe the multiple emotions showing on her face, when she hears about Y/n and Baatar's interaction. "Huh, he never told me that he has met you. Weird."</p><p>Y/n laughs and shakes her head. "He probably just doesn't recognize me. I had really long and thick hair back then, but when my condition started to get worse my hair became thin and I had to cut it, when I couldn't take care of myself anymore."</p><p>Kuvira's eyes are on Y/n's hair now and she reaches her hand to touch it. "I like your hair. I mean you probably would look just as pretty with long hair, but I really like this shoulder-length style," she comments and pulls her hand away. The smile on her face fades away and she looks up at the closed domes and lets out a sigh. "About Baatar... I don't know what to do with him." She suddenly speaks up.</p><p>"What do you mean? Are you planning his murder or something? Because I can help you bury the body." Y/n grins and her comment makes Kuvira chuckle.</p><p>"No. Sounds tempting though," Kuvira starts out and looks at Y/n. "But we have been having a lot of problems lately. We are constantly bickering, and he thinks that I am not trying my best in our relationship."</p><p>Y/n squints her eyes and raises an eyebrow. "Elaborate."</p><p>Kuvira takes a deep breath, before she explains any further. "He thinks that I am purposely avoiding him, but I have been really busy with dance practises and I still have to keep my ranks up even though I do have a spot secured in the security team. He thinks that I am not taking us seriously and that I don't really want to be with him."</p><p>"A wild question, <em>do you want to be with him</em>?" Y/n throws the question in the air and Kuvira wasn't expecting to hear that type of an answer to her rant.</p><p>"I- I guess so. I really like him, and he is nice and all, but sometimes it's like I am dating a baby who needs all of the attention in the world and when he doesn't get it, he gets upset and blames me for avoiding him purposely," Kuvira rants and covers her face with one hand, closing her eyes and slightly shaking her head.</p><p>Y/n leans towards Kuvira and brings her hand to her shoulder. "Ok, I don't know anything about men, especially dating them, but I suggest that you think if you really want to be in a relationship with someone who makes you feel like shit and think that he is... A baby." Y/n tries her best to give her some advice.</p><p>Kuvira lets her hand drop and she opens her eyes to look at Y/n. "Yeah, I guess you're right..." She answers and her eyes wander to Y/n's hand that is on her shoulder. When Y/n notices the look, she pulls her hand away, thinking that she was too intruding. A silence falls upon them and to change the subject, Kuvira decides to ask a question. "So... You have never dated before? Was it because you were sick?"</p><p>The question totally catches Y/n off guard, and it takes her a moment to think what she is going to answer. She isn't even sure if she should answer the question. "No... It's because..." She hesitates and can't look at Kuvira anymore. She swallows and decides to just say it. "Because I like women..."</p><p>Kuvira didn't know what she was expecting to hear as an answer, but it wasn't this. She doesn't know how to react; she is just staring at Y/n with her mouth slightly open. "Oh... <em>Oh</em>..." Is all she can say, and those simple words hurt Y/n. She stands up and a tear falls down on her cheek. Her fingers are curled into fists and she looks down at Kuvira.</p><p>"I get it. I'll go," she mumbles and takes a few steps up, heading towards the main entrance.</p><p>"No, wait, I didn't mean-" Kuvira panics as she gets up, but Y/n puts her arm up and stops Kuvira.</p><p>"Drop it, I understand," Y/n whispers and opens the door, stepping inside and leaving Kuvira outside.</p><p>Kuvira stares at the door with her mouth open and she can feel her heart dropping in her chest. She starts hitting her forehead with her palm. "Stupid! Stupid, stupid, stupid!"</p><p>Y/n walks down the hallways and wipes away the tears on her cheeks. "I should've just kept it to myself..."</p>
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<a name="section0013"><h2>13. Chapter 13</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>Trigger warning: Mentions of death</p><p>Last time edited: 18.2.2021</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Kuvira is sitting around the table in the dining room, waiting for Y/n to show up and sit down next to her. But she doesn't show up, so the seat next to her remains empty when the chef brings them their breakfast. Kuvira can't stay quiet anymore. "Where's Y/n?" She asks and looks at Suyin.</p><p>The older woman brings her eyes to Kuvira and lifts her eyebrows. "I have no idea; she's probably still sleeping."</p><p>"I'll go look for her after I am done eating." Kya drops into the conversation and gives Kuvira a smile. Kuvira nods and looks down at her plate full of food.</p><p>"How are you feeling? Did you sleep well last night?" Suyin asks from Kya and supports her head with her hand.</p><p>Kya grins and eyes Lin, who is sitting next to her. "I feel great. Sleeping with this lovely lady always gives me energy," she says and wraps her arms around Lin's and leans her head against her shoulder.</p><p>Lin gently pushes Kya away and rolls her eyes. "Kya, behave yourself," she murmurs.</p><p>"Oh please! We have been married for three years, Suyin has seen us cuddle multiple times. This isn't anything new!" Kya flicks her hand and laughs at Lin's reaction to the situation.</p><p>Lin clears her throat. "There are children in this room," she reminds and glances at her wife.</p><p>Kya lifts her other eyebrow and grins. "And love is love, now shut up and eat."</p><p>Kya is the first one to finish breakfast, so she stands up and goes to look for Y/n. She decides to check if she is still sleeping, so she walks around the hallways until she gets to Kuvira's door. She knocks on it three times, before she opens it up. She peeks her head through the ajar of the door and sees Y/n sitting on the edge of the bed, looking down at her feet that are hanging over the floor. Kya gets inside the room and walks closer to Y/n, sitting next to her. "Hey, you didn't show up to breakfast," she quietly mentions and looks at Y/n's side profile. She slightly turns her head to look at Kya and all she can give as an answer is a shrug of her shoulders. "Are you okay?"</p><p>"I don't know," Y/n whispers and looks at her hands, letting out a sigh.</p><p>Kya stands up and gently pulls Y/n to her feet. "Come on, let's go prepare for the second treatment," she says and holds onto Y/n's forearm. Y/n nods and when she starts walking behind Kya, she lets go of her arm and turns to face where she is walking. They get to the room where they were yesterday, and Kya starts getting all the things she needs ready. "Sit down, I want to talk with you," she commands and looks at Y/n for a second.</p><p>Y/n does as she is told and sits on the edge of the bed. "What is it?" She asks.</p><p>Kya stands in front of Y/n and looks down at her. She has her hands on her hips and she sighs. "I know that this isn't my place to ask but... Are you and Kuvira dating?"</p><p>Y/n's eyes widen, and she has to clear her throat before she answers. "What? No! No, we're not dating. Actually, she is with Baatar jr."</p><p>Now Kya is the one with widened eyes and she brings her hand to her mouth. "She's with <em>him?</em> Oh my, I am sorry but why and how."</p><p>Y/n chuckles and shakes her head. "I know, I think about it regularly. I mean... She told me yesterday that they aren't doing so well. And..." Y/n pauses and looks down.</p><p>"And what?" Kya inquires.</p><p>"And I told her that I like women. She got all quiet and all she could say was "Oh." She had this weirded out look on her face... She probably thinks I am disgusting or something..." Y/n lets it all out. She feels safe around Kya and that is why she even mentions this.</p><p>Kya places her hand on Y/n's head and ruffles her hair. "Hey, I'm sure she didn't mean it in a rude way. I remember when I came out that not everyone knew how to react. But that didn't mean that they didn't support or love me. Maybe she wasn't expecting you to confess something like that." Kya gives Y/n her perspective of the situation and Y/n lifts her head to look up at Kya's blue, gentle eyes.</p><p>"Yeah, but it still hurt me... I don't know what to do." She sighs.</p><p>"You should talk with her after we are done. Okay?" Kya smiles and Y/n gives her a nod as an answer. "Now, lay on your back so that I can get started," Kya commands and Y/n does as she is told.</p><p>"She fell asleep again! I don't understand how she does it. I know it hurts when I pull the poison out of her and just looking at her makes my body shiver in pain. I don't understand how she doesn't even flinch the slightest." Kya releases her thoughts as she walks into Suyin's office, where Suyin, Aiwei and Lin are talking. Kya sits next to Lin and shakes her head. "She is strong if anything," she adds.</p><p>Aiwei laughs and a grin appears on his face. "Actually, I taught her that. She is not sleeping, she is meditating and possibly got carried away with it, so she doesn't realize the time passing," he explains and leans his back against the back of the couch and crosses his legs, placing his hands on his knee.</p><p>Kya raises her eyebrow and looks at him. "Why did you teach her something like that?"</p><p>"She used to spend quite some time at my place when she was younger. She told me that she was sometimes in so much pain that she couldn't do anything else but lie down and not move a muscle. I taught her to meditate to distract her from the pain and to focus on something else. She caught up with it rather fast and she has been using the technique ever since," he tells and even Suyin is looking at him with an amazed look on her face.</p><p>Kya just keeps nodding her head. "Huh, that's actually really smart. So... She is not sleeping?"</p><p>"I can't be sure, but my guess is that she isn't," Aiwei shrugs his shoulders.</p><p>Lin looks at everyone in the room and then lies her eyes on her wife. "Should I go check on her again?" She asks and Kya turns to look at her.</p><p>Kya smiles at Lin and touches the tip of her nose. "Go ahead."</p><p>Lin gives Kya a subtle smile and then stands up, exiting the office and walking down the hallways to the room, where Kya came from a few minutes ago. She gives a firm knock on the door and opens it. For her surprise, Y/n is standing in front of the window and looking outside as the sun is starting to rise. When she hears Lin step inside the room, she turns around to face her.</p><p>"Hi, kid," Lin shortly greets her and closes the door behind her. She takes a step closer but doesn't get too close to her. "You're awake. Or, not zoned out. Aiwei told us that you are meditating to focus on something else than the pain. How do you do that?"</p><p>Y/n chuckles and rolls her eyes. She wasn't expecting Aiwei to tell about it, but she doesn't really mind. "I focus on something else. Usually, it is a picture in my head. But I am not meditating. I... Ok, please don't tell anyone about this but, Aiwei taught me how to enter the spirit world. That is where I go when I am in pain. It was originally my backup plan if I died... To leave my physical body behind and continue life there."</p><p>Lin lifts her other eyebrow. "The spirit world, huh? So that's where you have been all this time. That's pretty cool. I won't tell anyone, but why don't you want other people to know?"</p><p>Y/n shrugs her shoulders and turns around to look outside again. "I don't know. It has been something that brings me peace and I don't want people to ask me about it. So, it has kind of been a secret all this time."</p><p>Lin is quiet and looks at Y/n's back that is facing her. A sigh leaves her mouth, and she walks beside her to look outside. "Are you alright?" Lin asks and eyes at the younger woman beside her.</p><p>"Yeah, yeah I am," she answers shortly and looks down. She leans against the windowsill. "Do you know where Kuvira is? I really need to talk with her."</p><p>"I have no idea. After she finished her breakfast she fled, and I haven't seen her since." Lin straightens her back and looks at Y/n. Y/n turns to face her and straightens her back as well.</p><p>"Ok, I should go look for her." Y/n is already taking a step towards the door, but Lin gently places her hand on her shoulder and stops her.</p><p>"Are you sure you're alright? Can you walk properly?"</p><p>"Lin, I am fine. Today wasn't as rough as yesterday and Kya got the poison out of me. My head isn't as fuzzy as it was yesterday, so you don't have to worry about me," Y/n assures Lin. "But thank you, for taking care of me," she adds and smiles.</p><p>Lin lets go of Y/n and smiles. "Very well then."</p><p>Y/n leaves the room with Lin, but their ways depart when they walk into different directions. Y/n decides to go look for Kuvira from her room, maybe she went there to study or something. So, she walks around and makes a few turns, when she finally gets to Kuvira's room. She knocks on the door and opens it, stepping in. Kuvira is sitting on the floor, papers all over her and she looks up at Y/n. She is holding a pen against her mouth and when her eyes meet with Y/n's, she drops her hand and stands up.</p><p>"Can I stay?" Y/n asks. Kuvira nods her head, so Y/n closes the door behind her and leans against it. "I want to talk about yesterday. And how I reacted. Now, don't say anything, I want to go first," she pauses and looks down at her feet. "I'm sorry that I got so upset. I'm sorry that I stormed away and didn't stay to listen to what you had to say. You probably didn't mean to be rude. I took it the wrong way and made up my own assumptions. Please, forgive me." She looks at Kuvira, her head tilted, and eyebrows frowned.</p><p>Kuvira takes a few steps closer to Y/n and is now standing a step away from her. A smile appears on her face. "Hey, it's alright. I probably should've said something else than just "Oh," so I would also like to apologize," she begins and takes one more step closer to Y/n. She looks down at the other woman and gently pulls her into a hug. She leans her head against Y/n's and closes her eyes. "Just so you know, I will always support you and you will be my friend, no matter who you like. Love is love and it's something we can't decide," she adds.</p><p>Y/n smiles and gently wraps her arms around Kuvira's upper body. "Thank you. I got so scared when you got all quiet. I thought that you were disgusted of me," she says and departs from the hug to look at Kuvira. Kuvira takes a step back. "When I was dating this one girl, there was a lot of backlash. We got beaten up and we were heavily harassed for being together. All of the hate towards us and our love made us break up. It was a mutual decision, and it was to protect one another. She moved to Ba Sing Se, so I haven't seen her in years." Y/n shares her story.</p><p>After hearing the story, Kuvira frowns her eyebrows and crosses her arms. "You got names? Because I don't mind paying them a visit and maybe punching them."</p><p>"It's fine, Kuvira. They are already in jail, Suyin took care of it when she found out about what had happened," Y/n explains and lets out a chuckle.</p><p>"Yeah, but I still don't mind paying them a visit," Kuvira insists and grins. "But if anything like that ever happens again, you can count on me. Just tell me who did and what and I'll make sure that they'll regret the day that they were born."</p><p>Y/n shakes her head and pulls Kuvira back into a hug, wrapping her arms around Kuvira's neck. "Thank you, Kuvira. This means so much to me."</p><p>Kuvira buries her face in Y/n's hair and closes her eyes. "I'll protect you from bigots, always."</p>
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<a name="section0014"><h2>14. Chapter 14</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>“Baatar, can we talk?” Kuvira’s voice startles Baatar and he flinches, dropping the book he is holding and it falling to his feet, making him groan in pain. “Sorry, didn’t mean to startle you,” she adds and takes a few steps closer towards him. He lets out a sigh and turns to face the woman, who had just interrupted his working.</p><p>“What is it, Kuvira? I am working,” he mumbles, and he avoids Kuvira’s eyes by walking around his workshop. “I need to get this project ready so whatever you have to say… Say it quick.”</p><p>Kuvira lets her hands fall to her side and her shoulders drop. Her breathing is shaky, and she hesitates, before she takes a few more steps towards him. She grabs his forearm and spins him around, making him turn to her. “Look at me, please.”</p><p>Baatar shakes his head, before he brings his eyes from the floor to Kuvira’s eyes. His eyes are red from staying up all night and the circles under his eyes are dark. Kuvira is about to bring her hand to his cheek, but he stops her by gently grabbing her wrist and pulling it down. “Just say what you have to say.”</p><p>Kuvira’s lips tremble. She takes a deep breath, pondering if this is the right decision to make. “I think… I think we should break up.” After hearing those words that stab Baatar’s heart, his expression grows cold and he turns his back to Kuvira. This reaction breaks Kuvira. “Please, let me explain-”</p><p>“Is this about Y/n?” Baatar interrupts, slightly turning his head so that he can take a look at Kuvira over his shoulder.</p><p>“What? What do you mean?” Kuvira’s mouth is left open and her eyebrows are lifted, being confused by the question Baatar presented to her.</p><p>Baatar lets out a sharp breath through his nose and turns around. He crosses his arms across his chest and frowns his eyebrows. “After you started spending time with her, you have changed. You don’t have time for me and all you talk about is her and your stupid adventure. She has manipulated you into this, hasn’t she?”</p><p>Kuvira shakes her head in disbelief. “You’re so wrong. This isn’t about her; <strong>this is about us</strong>. <strong>Our</strong> relationship. We had problems long before I had met her. You just want to find someone to blame when it is <strong>us you should blame</strong>!” She bursts and her lips become a thin line, as she presses them together. “This doesn’t work, <strong>we</strong> don’t work. Why can’t you see it?”</p><p>“I see it, but I don’t believe that something else isn’t behind this. She has messed up with your head,” Baatar argues back.</p><p>“No, she hasn’t. If something, <strong>she has made me realize who I am and what I really want</strong>. Is it so wrong that I want to live my life the way <strong>I want</strong>?” Kuvira tries to get closer to Baatar, but everytime he walks away or turns his head.</p><p>A moment of silence falls upon them and neither one of them knows what to say anymore. Kuvira initiated the breakup, but it doesn’t mean that she is happy about this moment or that she enjoys seeing Baatar in so much pain.</p><p>“Baatar… I want to thank you for all that we got. But the thing is, I can’t offer you anything else anymore. I have given so much to you, <strong>to us</strong>, but you have to realize that what gives much also takes much,” she whispers with a shaking voice, her lips trembling and tears burning her eyes. “Nothing lasts forever, not even our relationship. But like I said, I want to thank you for everything. We have experienced our highest highs and lowest lows <strong>together</strong>, we have laughed and cried <strong>together</strong> and stood up entire nights only talking about our troubles. <strong>I wouldn’t change a thing</strong>,” she adds and breaks down to tears.</p><p>Baatar can’t look at Kuvira as the tears fall down her cheeks and her expression breaks, her face turning red. He shakes his head and closes his eyes, trying to hold back his own tears.</p><p>Baatar listens to Kuvira’s crying for a while before he finally has the courage to look at her again. He meets Kuvira’s welled up, red eyes and the suffocating look she has on her face. His eyebrows relax as he realizes that Kuvira <strong>isn’t doing this because she is selfish</strong>, she is doing this because <strong>she wants to let go of something that holds both of them back</strong>.</p><p>He takes a few steps closer to her and wraps his arms around her, pulling her against his chest and holding onto Kuvira’s head, gently stroking the long wavy hair. “I wouldn’t change a thing either,” he whimpers and closes his eyes, a tear falling down his cheek.</p><p>Kuvira wraps her arms around Baatar and buries her face to his shoulder. “I just want to know who I am <strong>without us</strong>. I have to let go of us, <strong>before I become numb to everything else</strong>,” she cries.</p><p>“And I am going to let go of us too if it brings you peace. I understand that this relationship isn’t as healthy as we thought it was. It holds us both back and restricts us,” Baatar gives in.</p><p>Kuvira cries against his shoulder and gasps for air, as the lump in her throat starts to choke her from the inside again. She squeezes her eyes shut and shakes her head. “Maybe I am crazy to let go of us, but I really need to know who I am and what I want. I am sorry that this hurts you, but just so you know, <strong>this hurts me too</strong>.”</p><p>“I know Kuvira, I know. And I am sorry that I put all the blame on you. I wanted you all for myself and I got jealous. That is probably the main reason that we are in this situation right now,” Baatar apologizes and Kuvira breaks from the hug, taking a step back to look up at Baatar’s eyes. She wipes the tears from her cheeks and a shaking sigh leaves her mouth. “You have made me the way I am, Kuvira. If I didn’t have you in my life… I would be someone else and my life would be different. <strong>I want to thank you for making me the better version of myself</strong>.”</p><p>A smile arches on Kuvira’s lips and she chuckles. “Baatar, you are good. You have always been. All I ever did to you was make you more confident in your own shoes. You made you, I just watered the seed inside,” she says, and her words make Baatar grin.</p><p>They don’t really know what to say anymore. They both know that this is the end, but they want to hold onto it for a few more seconds, just to make sure that this is the right call.</p><p>“Are we going to be friends after this?” Kuvira asks with a quiet voice, wondering if she is even supposed to be asking this type of a question.</p><p>But for her surprise, Baatar laughs. The laugh is full of warmth, like a warm hug in the winter. His laugh is genuine, he is happy. “Of course. I won’t let go of you that easily. <strong>I care about you</strong> and I don’t have to be in a romantic relationship with you to show that.”</p><p>“I care about you too.” Kuvira smiles. “This is it then. Thank you, once again.”</p><p>“I want you to be you, Kuvira. I’m ready to let go of you but know that my arms will always be open for you to come back.”</p><p>“<strong>I know</strong>.”</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>Hi y'all! Hope you liked this chapter :) </p><p>Follow my Tumblr account for updates and other random stuff I post:  <a href="https://kuviras-btch.tumblr.com/">Kuviras-btch</a></p><p>Last time edited: 18.2.2021</p>
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<a name="section0015"><h2>15. Chapter 15</h2></a>
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    <p>Kuvira wanders around the Beifong estate and finds Kya sitting in the garden meditating. She tries to be as quiet as possible as she approaches the older woman, but Kya hears her and opens her eyes to look at Kuvira. Kya taps the ground beside her, gesturing to the other woman to sit down. “You alright?” She asks and Kuvira lets out a heavy sigh.</p><p>“I broke up with Baatar… It went well but now my head hurts like a mother,” she answers and brings her hand to the bridge of her nose and pinches it. “I wasn’t expecting to cry so much.”</p><p>“Breakups are hard. But he probably deserved it,” Kya comments and chuckles. “I was actually shocked to hear that you two were together,” she confesses and brings her blue eyes to Kuvira, who is picking the grass.</p><p>Kuvira glances at the older woman and raises her eyebrows. “Oh, why?” She asks, confused.</p><p>A smirk forces its way to Kya’s lips. “Let’s just say that he doesn’t seem to be your type. No offense,” she says and winks at Kuvira.</p><p>“None taken,” Kuvira gives a short answer and brings her attention back to the grass. She plays with it for a while before she remembers something. “I heard you wanted to see around the city. Do you want to go? I can ask Y/n to come with us,” she proposes.</p><p>When Kuvira turns to look at Kya she sees the pure joy and excitement that lights up her face. Kya brings her hands together and claps them gleefully. “That would be fun! I have been admiring it from afar and I would love to finally get to see more of those adorable little houses!” She jumps up from the ground and whisks away the grass from her clothes.</p><p>Kuvira follows Kya’s example and stands up. “Alright, I’ll go get Y/n. You go get Lin and anyone else who wants to join us,” she says and gets a quick nod from Kya as an answer, before the older woman flees from the scene, leaving Kuvira standing there all by herself.</p><p>She lets out a chuckle and rubs her eyes before she starts heading towards the Beifong mansion. Y/n was moved into a guest room, since no one wanted to let her out of their sight and her being in the mansion was the best way to keep an eye on her, just in case something happened.</p><p>Kuvira walks around the hallways and the only sound she can hear is her shoes hitting the cold floor beneath her feet. She takes a few more turns, before she gets to Y/n’s door. She knocks on it and she hears mumbling as an answer, something that sounded like “Come in.” She carefully opens the door and peeks inside to see if Y/n’s awake. When she notices the other woman sitting on the bed reading a book, she takes one step inside and stops. “Hi, can I come in?” She asks. Y/n’s face lightens up when she notices Kuvira and she nods. She throws the book aside and gets up from the bed. Kuvira enters the room and closes the door behind her. “Do you want to go on a little tour around the city with me, Kya and Lin?”</p><p>Like Kya, Y/n brings her hands together and claps them out of excitement. “Ooh that would be fun! We can visit my parents at their shop,” she suggests. When Y/n mentions her parents all Kuvira can think about is the delicious food she ate at their place.</p><p>“I miss their food…” She dreams quietly and chuckles.</p><p>“What did you say?” Y/n asks with a smirk on her face. She places her hands on her hips and raises an eyebrow.</p><p>Kuvira panics because she didn’t intend to say the thought out loud. “N- Nothing-”</p><p>“I see I have found a rival in my parents’ table,” Y/n jokingly says and laughs. “Just kidding, everyone loves father’s food. He used to be a chef before he moved to Zaofu,” she explains and flicks her hand casually, releasing the tension.</p><p>“Your father isn’t from here?” Kuvira inquires and crosses her arms across her chest. “I didn’t know that.”</p><p>“No, he is from Omashu. He met my mother when they were around 20 and he totally fell in love with her. He moved to Zaofu to marry her,” Y/n shares his father’s story as she starts to change her clothes to something more casual.</p><p>Kuvira chuckles at the story and shakes her head. “Wow, that is dedication.”</p><p>“I know right?” Y/n comments and turns her back to Kuvira as she removes her shirt over her head.</p><p>Kuvira is about to turn her head to respect Y/n’s privacy, but something catches her eyes. Multiple deep, healed scars go over Y/n’s arms and ribs, all the way to her shoulders. <em>How come I didn’t notice them before; </em>she thinks and now her eyes are glued to the scars.</p><p>She stares at them with eyebrows frowned and she doesn’t notice that Y/n has turned around and is now looking straight at Kuvira. “What are you staring at?” She blurts and covers her body with her robes.</p><p>“No, I just… I just saw those scars. Are you ok?” Kuvira stumbles over her words as she tries to explain to Y/n why she was staring at her bare skin for way too long. Kuvira can feel her face get hot and she is sure that her face is visibly red from blushing.</p><p>She doesn’t get an answer straight away. Y/n glares at her and continues what she is doing and Kuvira is already going through different ways to apologize in her head. “It’s none of your business actually,” Y/n finally speaks up as she is ready with her robes. She takes a step closer to Kuvira and stops to look up at her eyes. She squints her eyes and presses her lips together as she opens the door behind Kuvira and steps aside. “Let’s go,” she mumbles as she exits the room.</p><p>Kuvira closes the door as she exits the room and lets out a sigh. She has to almost run to keep up with Y/n, who is already far ahead of her. She quietly walks behind her when she reaches her, she is too afraid to say anything. She thinks that her pointing out the scars was maybe a little too invasive and regrets it enormously.</p><p>When they get outside, Kya and Lin are waiting for them. Kya can’t stay in her place and is constantly jumping around or clapping her hands, but all Lin can do is roll her eyes and grin at her wife, who is acting like a child. “Look who I convinced to come with us!” Kya chants as she throws her arms around Lin’s neck. She leans her head against Lin’s shoulder and closes her eyes.</p><p>Lin sighs and rolls her eyes. “I need to keep this one out of trouble,” she tries to excuse her attendance and points at Kya.</p><p>“I won’t get us into any trouble, you silly,” Kya defends herself and lets go of Lin. She flicks her hand and chuckles.</p><p>“Mhm? Do you remember what happened at Emper Isl-”</p><p>“Mhm, yes I do, and we do not have to talk about it now,” she interrupts Lin before she can even finish the sentence.</p><p>Y/n and Kuvira look at each other in confusion. They won’t admit it out loud, but they would’ve loved to hear the rest of the story.</p><p>They enter the monorail that is waiting for them and they sit down close to each other. The monorail starts moving and they leave the Beifong estate.</p><p>“So, the first sector we’ll be going to is the one where we have all of our training halls and dance studios along with some shops and factories,” Kuvira explains as they start getting closer towards their first destination.</p><p>Y/n leans against her seat and crosses her legs. “Yeah, my parents own a jewelry shop and a factory near the training halls, we can go and see if they are at work,” she adds to Kuvira’s sentence and the thought of her parents brings a smile to her face.</p><p>Kuvira turns to look at the woman sitting next to her. “What kind of jewelry do they make? I never thought to ask about that,” she asks.</p><p>Y/n looks down at Kuvira’s necklace and chuckles. “All kinds of. For example, the one you are wearing right now is made by my mother,” she says and points at the piece of jewelry around Kuvira’s neck.</p><p>Kuvira looks down at her chest and then brings her eyes back to Y/n. “Oh wow, I never knew who made these. Your mother is amazing,” she comments.</p><p>“I know she is,” Y/n proudly whispers and looks outside the window. The monorail stops at the sector and they get out. Y/n fills her lungs with fresh air and stretches out her arms. “Ah, here we are!”</p><p>They walk around the sector and Kya can’t help herself but to point at everything she finds exciting. Lin laughs at her wife but tries to keep it as subtle as possible. Their first destination is Y/n’s parents’ shop and when the young woman sees her parents outside the shop setting up things, her face lightens up and she starts running towards them. “Mom! Dad!” She yells and draws their attention to her. When they recognize their daughter, they start laughing. Y/n runs to their arms and holds onto them tightly. “I missed you guys so much. I’m so much better now, thanks to Kya.” When she lets go of her parents, Kya, Lin and Kuvira have reached them. Y/n stands aside her parents and turns to look at the others. “Mom, dad, here’s Kya and Lin. You already know Kuvira,” she introduces them to each other and Kuvira awkwardly waves her hand at them.</p><p>Y/n’s parents bow, and Lin and Kya follow them. “Oh, it’s so nice to meet you. I am Alisa and this is Harit. Thank you for saving our daughter’s life. We owe you a big time,” her mother humbly speaks and smiles at the women standing in front of her.</p><p>“No, it’s fine. I’m just doing my job.” Kya smiles and lets out a chuckle. Her eyes wander from Y/n’s parents to the display window behind them. She notices a beautiful golden bracelet with a white diamond in the middle. “Though I really do love that bracelet,” she mumbles and points at the jewelry.</p><p>Y/n’s father rushes inside and grabs the bracelet with him. He comes back to them and hands out the bracelet to Kya. “Take it! Consider it as a gift,” he says, and Kya takes the bracelet from him. She gives him a subtle smile and nods her head.</p><p>“Thank you. Your daughter is an amazing person, and I am glad I was able to help,” she thanks them and then turns to Lin. “Lin, give me your hand,” she demands and holds out her own hand.</p><p>Lin raises an eyebrow but places her hand over Kya’s. The other woman slightly twists Lin’s hand and slides the bracelet around her wrist. “Kya, what are you doing?” Lin asks,</p><p>“It reminded me of you. It looks pretty. It’s nothing bougie or loud, it’s perfect for you,” Kya hums and takes Lin’s hand and holds it.</p><p>Y/n’s parents look at the two women with smiles on their faces, before they turn to look at their daughter. “Honey, we want to talk with you about something, will you come with us?” Her mother quietly asks. Y/n turns to look at her parents.</p><p>She nods her head slightly and glances at Kuvira before she answers. “Yeah, sure”, she answers shortly. She follows her parents inside the shop and closes the door behind her. She crosses her arms across her chest and raises her eyebrows. “What is it?”</p><p>Her parents look at each other for a moment before they face their daughter. Her father takes a deep breath, before he opens his mouth. “It’s about your brother, Kiran. We heard that he has moved back to Zaofu,” he starts out and pauses for a moment to look how Y/n is reacting. So far, her expression remains calm. “We just want you to be careful. Don’t go outside alone and just… Stay safe.”</p><p>Y/n chuckles and lets her hands fall to her side. “Dad, I can handle Kiran if I come across him. But I won’t promise that I’ll be nice to him if I see him,” she jokes but the joke doesn’t seem funny to her parents.</p><p>“You need to be careful around him. Yes, he is your brother, but he won’t hesitate to play dirty if you make the first move. At least try to be cautious, we don’t want anything to happen,” her mother worries and brings her hands to her chest.</p><p>Y/n sighs and nods her head. “Alright, I’ll be careful. Thank you for warning me,” she thanks and looks down at the floor. A moment of silence falls upon them, but it doesn’t last long when Y/n brings her eyes to her parents and opens her mouth. “So, how have you been doing when I’ve been gone? We haven’t seen at least in a week or two,” she asks, changing the subject.</p><p>A smile curves onto her mother’s lips. “Well, we have been busy. Nothing new really. We missed you and your friends, though. It was fun having Kuvira and her siblings around the shop,” she answers the question and looks outside the window at Kuvira, who is talking with Kya and Lin.</p><p>Y/n looks behind her at Kuvira and she smiles at the view of Kuvira swaying her hands in the air as she is explaining something. “It was,” she sighs and then turns back to her parents. She rubs the back of her neck and clears her throat. “So… Now that I am kind of cured… I am finally able to go on the adventure. And Kuvira is coming along with me. Is that ok?”</p><p>Her father takes a few steps closer to her and places his hand on her daughter’s shoulder. “Of course, it is, we want you to fulfil your dreams and live the life you want the way you want. We aren’t going to hold you back,” he supports her.</p><p>“Thank you, dad… That means a lot to me.” She smiles and wraps her arms around his neck.</p><p>“You have been living under our roof for seventeen years, it’s time you leave,” his father adds and pats Y/n’s back. The woman breaks from the hug and raises her eyebrows.</p><p>“Ok that sounded really rude, but I’ll take it the right way. I just don’t want to leave you two,” she says and lets out a sigh. She looks at her mother, who takes a few steps closer to the two.</p><p>“Oh, come on, we’ll be fine! We are still young and healthy, and we can keep the shop up without your help. There is nothing to worry about. We want you to be happy”. Her mother flicks her hand casually and scoops her daughter into a hug.</p><p>Y/n leans her head against her mother’s head and laughs. “I know, and I promise that I’ll be happy,” she whispers.</p><p>After a moment of hugging each other, Y/n breaks from the hug and takes a few steps back to look at both of her parents.</p><p>“So, when are you leaving?” Her father asks.</p><p>Y/n has to think for a moment, because she doesn’t really remember what she talked with Suyin. “I don’t know, maybe in a week? We have to do some preparations and ask Suyin for some supplies.”</p><p>Her father nods his head and is already opening his mouth to ask another question. “And when will you come back?”</p><p>The question makes the smile on Y/n’s face fade away. She shrugs her shoulders and looks away. “I don’t know. But I won’t be gone for long, I promise!” She tries to sound happy as she turns her eyes back to her parents. She forces a smile on her face.</p><p>Her parents nod their heads and look at each other for a moment. “Alright now, go to your friends. We can talk more later,” her mother says and changes the subject.</p><p>Y/n smiles and nods her head once. “Ok, bye, love you!” She farewells as she opens the door to the shop and leaves. She waves her hands at them before she turns around and walks to Kuvira, Kya and Lin.</p><p>“Everything alright?” Kuvira asks when the other woman gets to them.</p><p>She nods her head and smiles. “Yeah, nothing to worry about. Now let’s show Kya and Lin around the sector.” She is already walking towards the training halls that are at the centre of the sector.</p><p>They wander around the streets and Kya looks up at the buildings and points at them. “These buildings are huge. And there are no cute little houses!” She expresses her disappointment. Her comment makes the others laugh.</p><p>“Cute little houses can be found in the later sectors. This is mainly for the training halls and some factories and shops,” Y/n explains to Kya.</p><p>Hours pass by as Kuvira explains the history of Zaofu while they wander around the sector. They stop a few times when Kya asks specific questions, and they visit the training halls and dance studios. Kuvira showed Lin how to use the metal cables at the studio, as Lin wondered if they were anything like the cables she and the other officers have in their uniforms.</p><p>The next sector they arrive at is the one Y/n lives. When they step outside the monorail Kya is finally greeted with the small apartments she has been yearning for for hours, if not even days. “Cute little houses!” Are the words that escape her mouth as she notices the houses.</p><p>Lin face palms herself and lets out a sigh, all Kya has been talking about all this time at Zaofu is the small apartments and Lin can only wish that she’ll stop talking about them once they get back to their guest house at the end of the day.</p><p>Since Y/n lives in this sector it’s only a matter of time when they finally walk to her door. “Do you want to come inside? I can make you some tea,” Y/n asks and turns to face the others.</p><p>“That would be nice, wouldn’t it, Lin?” Kya hums and rotates her head to take a look at Lin, who is standing beside her.</p><p>Lin sighs and shrugs her shoulders. “Yeah, why not,” she agrees.</p><p>They get inside the apartment and they are met with chaos. Clothes are all around the floors and the apartment is over all a mess. “I am so sorry that it is this messy in here. I haven’t been able to really clean up for a while,” Y/n apologizes as she picks up the clothes from the floor and throws them into a laundry basket. She opens the blinds and cleans the table so that the tea set fits on it.</p><p>“Oh, it’s fine! You have adorable plants,” Kya points out as she can’t take her eyes off the plants all over the apartment.</p><p>“Kuvira said the exact same thing when she came here for the first time… As did Opal. And the twins too. They actually managed to destroy some of my plants and I just don’t understand how they did it,” Y/n says as she remembers the first time Wei and Wing visited her place a while ago.</p><p>The table in Y/n’s living room is a chabudai styled, a short legged table. Kuvira, Kya and Lin sit on the floor as Y/n brews the tea in the kitchen. She can hear some quiet chatter from the living room, but she doesn’t pay any attention to it as her focus is on the kettle.</p><p>When the tea is ready, Y/n brings the kettle and the cups to the table. She places the cups in front of everyone and carefully pours the tea. When she is ready with everyone, she puts down the kettle and sits down next to Kuvira.</p><p>Kya leans her elbow on the table and supports her head. “I want to hear about your adventure plans,” she says and smiles.</p><p>Kuvira and Y/n exchange looks. They weren’t expecting that question. “Uh… Well, our first destination is supposed to be the Kyoshi Island, but we might have to spend a night at the Mist Palms Oasis,” Kuvira speaks up and brings her eyes to Kya, who nods her head slightly.</p><p>“Yeah, Suyin promised to give us a jeep. Apparently Kuvira can drive but I wouldn’t be so sure. I don’t know if I want to risk my life,” Y/n adds and eyes at Kuvira.</p><p>“Hey, I know how to drive, we’ll be fine. Unless you want to walk, of course,” Kuvira strikes back at Y/n and gently pokes at the woman beside her with her elbow.</p><p>“Nope, jeep is fine. As long as we don’t hit a tree. Or something,” Y/n stutters and gives in.</p><p>Lin takes a sip of the hot tea and puts the cup down as she raises her eyebrows. “Where did you learn to drive a jeep? Is that what they teach you when you train to join the security team?” She asks.</p><p>Kuvira chuckles quietly and looks down at her cup. “We can choose. I know how to pilot a biplane,” she casually mentions.</p><p>Y/n’s eyes widen when she hears Kuvira’s words. “You- You what?” She stumbles over her words.</p><p>“It’s not that hard. Want to go on a fly one day?” She grins and winks her eye at Y/n.</p><p>“Yeah, no thank you. As an earthbender, I rather stay close to the ground,” Y/n denies the offer and shakes her head.</p><p>Kuvira laughs at Y/n and rolls her eyes. “I am an earthbender too. I don’t see your point.”</p><p>“You’re stronger than I am. I need the ground beneath my feet to actually function,” Y/n explains and brings her cup to her lips and takes a sip.</p><p>Lin turns to look at Y/n with raised eyebrows. “How is your metalbending?” She asks.</p><p>Y/n places the cup on the table and sighs. She doesn’t answer for a moment, but before she does, she brings her eyes to Lin. “Not good, honestly. I mean yes, I can metalbend but it’s really hard for me. I almost lost my bending multiple times, so I haven’t really been able to train,” she mumbles.</p><p>“Well, that’s a bummer. Maybe Kuvira can teach you some things on your travels,” Kya proposes as she enters the conversation.</p><p>“What do you say?” Kuvira asks as she turns to look at the woman sitting next to her.</p><p>Y/n is quiet for a while as she eyes everyone around the table. She brings her eyes to Kuvira and a smile curves to her lips when their eyes meet. “Sure, why not. I guess it would be fun.”</p><p>Hours pass as the four of them share stories and drink more tea. At some point they went outside to check out this one tree Y/n talked about and that’s when they realized that it was late, since the domes of Zaofu had closed and the lights had been lit up on the streets.</p><p>“Lin, we should probably get going, it’s late already,” Kya proposes and rubs her eyes gently as she yawns. She turns to look at Y/n who is standing at her door, ready to open the door. “Thank you for the tea. I’m looking forward to exchanging adventure stories when you get to Republic City,” she adds.</p><p>A smile curves on Y/n’s lips and she leans her back against the door behind her. “It was fun to have you here. And I still want to know what happened at Ember Island,” she points out and grins at the two older women standing close to each other and Kuvira, who has been quiet for a while.</p><p>They are about to leave, when Lin notices that Kuvira isn’t following them, instead of doing so, she is standing in front of Y/n, about to say something. “Kuvira, are you coming?” She asks.</p><p>Kuvira turns to look at Lin, who has her other arm around Kya’s shoulders. “No… I mean if it’s fine with Y/n I would like to stay a little longer,” she quietly says and takes a look at Y/n.</p><p>“Sure, you can stay,” Y/n gives her a short answer and Kuvira turns to look back at Lin and Kya.</p><p>“Ok, but don’t stay too late. I don’t want to deal with Suyin if she gets worried,” Lin mumbles and waves her hand at Y/n before she turns around with Kya and heads towards the monorail.</p><p>Y/n and Kuvira head inside and Y/n starts cleaning the table in the living room. Kuvira follows her into the kitchen. When Y/n puts the dishes down, she turns to look at Kuvira who is leaning against the wall. “Are you alright?” Kuvira asks.</p><p>“What do you mean?” Y/n crosses her arms across her chest and swifts her weight to her other hip.</p><p>“You know what I mean. The scars.” She clears her throat and takes a step closer to Y/n. “I’m worried about you,” she adds.</p><p>“It’s none of your concern,” Y/n harshly says and walks past Kuvira to the living room. Kuvira rolls her eyes and follows Y/n, grabs her shoulder, and spins her around to face her.</p><p>“Yes, it is. You’re my friend and I care about you. How come Kya didn’t notice them when she was treating you?” She isn’t ready to let go of the subject so easily.</p><p>Y/n stares into Kuvira’s soul and frowns her eyebrows. She pushes her arm off her shoulder and a sharp, short breath exhales through her nose. “Oh, she did notice them. And she gave me a lecture about them,” Y/n snaps and says the words louder than she was supposed to.</p><p>“Well, did you learn anything?” Kuvira asks and frowns her eyebrows as she looks down at Y/n.</p><p>“That I shouldn’t hurt myself? Yeah, I understand why I shouldn’t do it, but why can’t others understand me? Please Kuvira, leave if you’re going to turn this into a lecture and mother me,” she answers and turns her back to Kuvira.</p><p>Kuvira stares at her back for a while before she sighs and walks around Y/n to her front and carefully takes Y/n’s hands and holds them. “Hey… I worry about you and I want you to be alright. So, I’ll ask this one more time: are you alright?”</p><p>It takes Y/n a moment to bring her eyes back to Kuvira. When their eyes meet, she is met with Kuvira’s worried eyes and she swears to spirits that Kuvira’s lower lip is trembling. The view breaks Y/n and tears start falling down her cheeks. “No! No, I am not alright!” She cries and shakes her head. “I just… It’s not easy to explain, ok? I am constantly in pain, or used to be, so I thought to myself <em>“What is a little more?”</em> For the longest time there was no hope for me and at some point, I started to believe that I would actually die because of my illness. I was in a really dark place. It happened twice and I haven’t done it since.”</p><p>Kuvira is shocked to hear what Y/n has to say. She doesn’t really know, what to say. “Hey… I don’t know what you’ve had to go through, but I know that this isn’t something to be ashamed of. I am proud of you that you told me. Is there anything I can do to make you feel better?” Kuvira inquires as she looks at the woman in front of her cry. Y/n doesn’t hesitate when she throws her arms around Kuvira and buries her face in the crook of Kuvira’s neck. Kuvira wraps her arms around Y/n’s body tightly and pulls her closer to her chest. “If a hug is all it takes to make you feel alive, I will never let go of you.”</p><p>“Kuvira, I’m so glad you’re my friend,” Y/n is able to speak through her crying and she sobs. Her breathing shakes as she closes her eyes. “You saved me,” she whispers and breaks down once again.</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0016"><h2>16. Chapter 16</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>Trigger warning: Mentions of scars</p><p>Last time edited: 18.2.2021</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>After Kuvira had left later that night, Y/n had remembered that she was supposed to pick up Ozai from Sachin’s place. She left in a hurry, and is now running down the dark, dimly lit streets, as she tries to get to his place before the day changes. She is out of breath, but she promised him and doesn’t want to let him down.</p><p>When she gets there, she can see some light peeking through the curtains of his kitchen window, so she now knows that he is still awake, probably because he is waiting for her. She runs up the three stairs and firmly knocks on the door three times, before she takes one step down and is finally able to stop to catch her breath. She is panting heavily, and she wipes the few drops of sweat off her forehead.</p><p>Sachin hears the knock on the door, but before he opens it, he peeks through the window who is at the door. When his eyes meet Y/n’s, he lets out a frustrated sigh and shakes his head. He flies the door open and is already holding out Ozai to Y/n. “It was time you came to get your rat!” He complains and the fire ferret jumps from his arms and wraps its tail around Y/n’s neck.</p><p>“Hey, he can understand what you say,” Y/n defends Ozai and scratches its little head. “Was he mean to you, huh? Well now you get to go home with me,” she talks to Ozai with a high-pitched voice and boops its nose.</p><p>Sachin rolls his eyes and sighs, crossing his arms over his chest. He leans against the door frame and lifts an eyebrow. “So… How are you feeling?”</p><p>“I’m doing fine. A little weird, I guess. My body feels like it’s on fire, but Kya said that it should go away within a few days,” she answers and brings her eyes to Sachin, whose face is shadowed heavily, as the only source of light is coming from his apartment. The shape of his nose and sharp jaw is highlighted in this lightning and even if Y/n is only attracted to women, she can agree that her best friend is a really good looking man.</p><p>“I still can’t believe you were poisoned! Who poisons a child?” He wonders and shakes his head, as he flicks his hand in confusion and as an extension to his question.</p><p>Y/n sighs and shrugs her shoulders. She looks down at her feet and slightly shakes her head, as she doesn’t understand it either. “I don’t know, we were thinking about the same exact question. I would want to have a nice little talk with my real parents, ask them a few questions,” she mumbles and kicks the stairs.</p><p>There is a moment where neither one of them talks. They are completely quiet, no sound, nothing. “Why don’t you go and find them?” Sachin breaks the silence with his question, and it makes Y/n lift her head to look up at him and meet his eyes again.</p><p>“I wasn’t serious. If I actually met them, they would probably be dead at the same moment. That’s how much I hate them.” She balls her hands into fists at the thought of even meeting her parents, who might be the ones who poisoned her as a baby. She doesn’t want to have anything to do with them, even if they were to ever apologize. There is no way a simple sorry can make up for the years of suffering and almost dying multiple times. There is no way for her to get back the years she lost because she was lying in her bed, sick.</p><p>Sachin puts out his hands and nods his head once. “Ok, fair enough.” He sighs and looks down at Y/n’s hands. She gets distracted from her thoughts, when Ozai starts playing with her messy, tangled hair. A smile appears on her face, as she starts playing with the fire ferret. Looking at the two of them makes it impossible for Sachin to keep a straight face and now he is smiling too. He rolls his eyes and chuckles. “Are you going back to the Beifong estate?” He asks.</p><p>“Not for tonight. I convinced Lin to let me stay and she promised to deal with Suyin. She hasn’t called so I assume everything went well. I missed my own bed, and well, Ozai,” she answers as she plays with Ozai. She glances at him and grins. “And you, of course! You can come to my place if you want, we can catch up,” she adds.</p><p>Sachin sighs and straightens his posture. “I would love to, but I have to study. Remember, I kind of am a student at the university,” he reminds her and grins.</p><p>Y/n scratches the back of her neck as she lets out a nervous laughter. “Right, of course. I should probably go and leave you study,” she mumbles.</p><p>“It was nice that you dropped by, and got your stupid rat,” Sachin says and takes a step closer to Y/n. He opens his arms and invites her into a hug.</p><p>She doesn’t hesitate a second, when she runs to his arms and wraps her arms around his torso. She buries her face to his shoulder and closes her eyes. She feels safe in his arms. He chuckles and leans his head against Y/n’s and gently rubs her back. When they break from the hug, Y/n looks up to Sachin’s eyes and smiles crookedly. “Well, good night then, Sachin.”</p><p>He smiles and ruffles her hair so that it is even more tangled than it was before. “Night, you stupid one,” he laughs. She shakes her head and chuckles. She takes the steps down and raises her hand, waves it twice and then spins around on the balls of her feet and starts heading home with Ozai.</p><p>On her way home, she doesn’t hurry. She takes her time and decides to take a walk through the park and wander around a bit. She doesn’t usually get to go outside at this time, so she will enjoy it as long as she can. On her way to the park, she meets a few guards, and they all greet her, she responds to them with a single nod.</p><p>The quietness and the lack of people calm her down. Usually, the park is crowded, and she doesn’t really like to be there at times like that. So, when no one is in the park and all she can hear is nothing, she smiles widely and walks to a bench nearby, sitting down. Ozai curls up to her lap and closes its eyes. “Hey, don’t fall asleep, we’ll go home. I just want to enjoy this for a moment…”</p><p>She lets her head fall back as she looks up. She sighs when all she can see is the metal domes closed up. She closes her eyes and imagines stars. She imagines herself lying down on a flower field, looking up at the night sky. The wind is caressing her skin and the moon is shining bright, as are the stars around it. Next to her is Kuvira, who has her eyes on the sky too. She glances over at Y/n and a smile appears on her face, when she observes the other woman who is stargazing. “You look-”</p><p>“Well look who it is. Wasn’t expecting to meet you here, not at this hour.” A voice brings her back to reality and interrupts her dream. The voice is familiar, but she hasn’t heard it in years. She opens her eyes and looks around, when her eyes meet her brother, Kiran, in his guard uniform.</p><p>She frowns her eyebrows and stands up from the bench, Ozai climbing up her arm to settle down on her shoulder. “What do you want, Kiran?” She spits out his name as if it’s a bad word that shouldn’t be said out loud.</p><p>Kiran lets out a chuckle and holds out his arms. “Can’t I talk with my little sister?”</p><p>He tries to take a step closer towards her, but Y/n backs up and curls her fingers into fists and presses them tightly against her thighs. “I am not your sister. Get out of my way, I want to go home.” She walks past him, without looking at him even once.</p><p>“How’s mother and father?” He asks with his professional, cold, and straight-forward voice and the sound of his stupid voice is enough to make turn around and face her brother. He has a smug on his face and he lifts his eyebrows.</p><p>Y/n takes a step closer and raises her index finger to point at him. “That is none of your business, I know that you don’t care,” she hisses at him and presses her lips so tightly together that they form a slightly downwards pointing line.</p><p>“I do care. Why would you think that I don’t?” He lets out a sigh and drops his shoulders that he had been keeping high. He looks straight to her eyes and it feels like his eyes are piercing right through her.</p><p>“You never visited us, you never called, nor did you ever write,” she lists out the reasons behind her accusations and crosses her arms across her chest. If he cared, he would've tried to reach out, wouldn’t he?</p><p>“I was out of Zaofu for years, I was studying abroad in Ba Sing Se. You have to understand that not everything is as black and white as you paint them to be,” he tries to defend himself and takes a few steps closer to his sister.</p><p>Y/n laughs out loud and rolls her eyes. “Well, you should’ve stayed there. Mom and dad don’t want to see you, and neither do I,” she says and turns around. She is about to take her first step to leave, but then she hears the sound of metal cables and not even a second later, she feels how one wraps around her wrist and pulls her back. She turns her head to look at Kiran, who had bended out the metal cable from his uniform. “Let go of me,” she murmurs and raises her hand.</p><p>Kiran shakes his head and closes his eyes. “Mom and dad would never think that way,” he whispers and tries to convince himself that this is something that his evil little sister has been planning for years.</p><p>“Oh really? They are terrified of you! You tried to kill me when I was a baby. What do you think they think about you? That you’re still their perfect son who just made a few mistakes?” She snaps and takes a few long steps to him, close enough to feel his breath on her skin.</p><p>He looks down at her and leans closer, so that his eyes are at the same level with hers. “I didn’t try to kill you! It was an accident!” He spits out and he is about to open his mouth again, until Y/n bends out a piece of rock off the ground and throws it at his face. He flinches back and brings his hand to his cheek. “Ow, what the flameo?!”</p><p>Y/n opens her arms and frowns her eyebrows. “Oh sorry, it was an accident! See how easy it is to lie!” She yells and her voice is shaking. She doesn’t know if it’s because she is on the verge to break down to cry or because she is so furious that she could rip his head off. His attention is somewhere else, so Y/n takes advantage of this moment and bends the metal cable around her wrist and shoots it back at him.</p><p>He has a perfect control over the metal cable, so he brings it back to his uniform and frowns his eyebrows. “I am not lying!” He tries to defend himself again, but for nothing, as Y/n already bends out another series of rocks off the ground and shoots them at him He barely dodges them and then takes a fighting stance. “Quit it, before it’s too late,” he warns her.</p><p>“You know what? I am really lucky that you’re wearing your uniform. I can do this,” she whispers and then raises her arm and starts closing her palm into a fist, the metal around Kiran’s neck slowly following the movement and wrapping around his neck. He brings his hands around the metal and tries to do something, anything. His face starts to change slightly to blue and he is gasping for air. “How does it feel, huh?! How does it feel when you can’t breathe? How does it feel, tell me!”</p><p>He looks down at his sister and a tear slowly rolls down his cheek. “L- Let- Let go of me-” He struggles to exhale the words as the metal around his throat tightens by every second.</p><p>“You shouldn’t have pushed me,” she whispers from under her breath and takes a step closer to him.</p><p>Her eyes are strictly on his eyes, so she doesn’t notice, when he flicks his hand and a huge rock flies across the space between them and hits her on her shoulder, making her fall a few steps back and lose control over him. She lets go of him and he uses this time to quickly bend out his metal armour and throw it aside. He takes a fighting stance and waits, until his sister has recovered from the hit.</p><p>She isn’t going to let go of this so easily, so she takes a fighting stance and breathes heavily, already being out of breath. Her vision has grown blurry, after using a lot of energy when choking Kiran. She can barely see her brother, as he moves his hand and bends out a rock off the ground and aims it at her. She barely dodges it, and it scrapes her ribs, making her groan in pain. But she doesn’t hesitate a second to return an attack, so she bends out multiple pieces of rock off the ground and shoots them at Kiran as a series, but he manages to dodge every single one of them smoothly, it is as if he is dancing.</p><p>They return attacks against each other back and forth and it seems like an endless cycle. Ozai has hidden under the bench, as it is the only place where he won’t get hit by a rock. At some point Kiran gets the high ground, when one of the rocks he aims at his sister makes her fall to the ground. She falls to her back and closes her eyes for a moment, she is out of energy and every part of her body is in excruciating pain. When she tries to get up, Kiran pushes her back down as he places his boot over her chest and pins her to the ground. “Give up! You’re going to lose,” his voice is calm, and he seems like he isn’t out of breath at all. He only has a few scratches here and there and he looks like he hasn’t even been in a fight.</p><p>The calmness in his voice is enough to make Y/n’s blood boil. She looks around for a moment, when she notices the metal armour that is lying on the ground. She looks back at her brother and just looking at his annoying face is enough to give her fuel to push his leg off of her and roll over to rush towards the metal armour. She reaches her hand out and bends multiple pieces of metal out of the armour, turning back to him. She molds the pieces of metals into arrows and then shoots them at him. “No, I won’t!” She yells. Only one arrow hits him, the others are blocked by a rock wall. She hits the ground and gets up. Her legs can’t support her, and they give out, her falling back down to her knees. Her brother walks closer to her and stops right in front of her. He looks down at his sister, who isn’t doing so well. She has bruises all over her body and her arms, legs, ribs, and nose are bleeding and her hair is all tangled up. Her whole body is shivering in pain, and she tries to hide it by rocking back and forth, making it look like she is just moving around. Her vision is blurrier than before, and she isn’t quite sure if Kiran just bended the metal into a knife or not.</p><p>“Oh, you won’t lose? What is this then?” His voice is the exact definition of hearing someone grin, without actually seeing it. He leans down and grabs her chin, turning her face from side to side as he takes a look at the bruises he had caused.</p><p>Y/n can’t take it anymore and she breaks down to tears. She frowns her eyebrows and looks up at her brother through the tears that are burning her eyes. “I- I hate you!” She cries and shakes her head.</p><p>He brings the knife to Y/n’s throat and presses it against her bare skin. The cold blade sends shivers down her body and she closes her eyes. He is enjoying this. He enjoys seeing his sister so broken down. A grin appears on his face, but before he is able to do anything else, someone interrupts them. “What in the flameo is going on here?” Sachin yells as he runs to them and pushes Kiran away from Y/n. When Kiran isn’t supporting Y/n’s head anymore, she falls down to her side and hits her head to the ground. Sachin rushes to her and holds her in his arms, gently supporting her head with his forearm. “Y/n, are you alright? Kiran what the flameo?!” He looks up at the other man and frowns his eyebrows.</p><p>“She started it, you can blame her,” he defends himself and points down at his sister, who can barely keep her eyes open. She chuckles and shakes her head in disbelief.</p><p>“You both need to be taken to the hospital,” Sachin states as he takes Y/n’s arm and swings it around his neck and then slides the other hand under Y/n’s armpit, supporting her. He stands up carefully and a wave of pain strikes her nerves and makes her twitch in pain. She lets out a groan and leans against Sachin. “Ok, come on, you too,” he says and looks at Kiran, who just rolls his eyes but agrees to come with them. They start slowly making their way towards the hospital and Ozai climbs up Sachin’s leg and settles on his shoulder.</p><p>When Kya got the call that Y/n is in the hospital, she left in a hurry and Kuvira tagged along with her. They both rush to the hospital and push the doors open. The doctors recognize them and lead them straight to Y/n’s room, where Sachin is standing beside the younger, bruised woman. When Kya sees her lying on the bed, bleeding out and in pain, her eyes widen, and she rushes to her side. “What happened?!” She asks.</p><p>Y/n brings her hands to her ears and closes her eyes. “Oh my, don’t yell at me,” she mumbles. Her voice is weak and shaky.</p><p>“Are you alright?” Kuvira takes Y/n’s hand and looks down at her, before glancing at Sachin who is standing on the other side of the bed.</p><p>“Yeah, I am, now shut up, you’re being too loud,” she complains and shakes Kuvira’s hand off to cover her face with her hands.</p><p>“She got into a fight with her brother. He’s a mean one, if you didn’t notice.” Sachin drops into the conversation and Kya looks at him. She frowns her eyebrows and then looks down at the younger woman.</p><p>“You have a brother?”</p><p>Y/n takes a deep breath and drops her hands. She looks up at Kya. “He’s not my brother. At least not biologically,” she hisses. “Our argument heated into a fight,” she adds.</p><p>Kya looks at her from head to toes and shakes her head. “Yes, I can see that,” she notes. “Now, stay put, I need to heal these bruises.”</p><p>“No, don’t. It’s fine,” Y/n tries to deny the help, but Kya is already pulling her clothes aside to take a better look at the bruises. Y/n slaps Kya’s arm and looks straight at the older woman’s blue eyes. When Kya lets go of her, she pulls the sleeves back to their places and glares at Sachin. “I said it’s fine! Don’t touch me.” She doesn’t want Sachin to see her arms, she hasn’t really talked about the scars with him, and this doesn’t seem to be the appropriate time to have that talk with him.</p><p>“Please, let me even ease the pain,” Kya begs.</p><p>Y/n keeps eye contact with Kya. She sighs and lets her head fall back to the pillow. “Fine, but don’t try to take my clothes off again,” she mumbles. Kya nods her head and bends out the water and starts running it over Y/n’s body.</p><p>Kuvira looks as Kya heals Y/n, but she is again reminded of Sachin’s presence, as he lets out a heavy sigh. She turns her gaze to him and clears her throat. “Sachin, would you come with me?” She asks and slightly tilts her head towards the door. She gets a nod as an answer and they exit the room, leaving Kya and Y/n alone. When they get a little further away from the room, Kuvira stops and crosses her arms across her chest. “What happened?” She asks.</p><p>Sachin shrugs his shoulders. “I don’t really know. I was walking down to the library to get some books, yes, I have the key, and then I heard a lot of yelling and the earth beneath me was shaking. I went to look at what was going on and then I saw Kiran holding out a knife on Y/n’s throat,” he explains how the things went down. He shakes his head as he remembers the look on Y/n’s face in that moment.</p><p>Kuvira places her hand on Sachin’s shoulder and smiles. “Well, I’m glad you were there. I don’t even want to know what would’ve happened if you hadn’t shown up,” she gently says. Sachin returns a smile and then looks down. “Is Kiran somewhere near?”</p><p>Sachin looks at the door behind him and then back at Kuvira. “He’s in the room next door, why?”</p><p>“I want to exchange a few words with him. I promise not to hurt him, at least not much,” she mumbles as she puts his shoulder twice and then heads to the other room. She presses down the handle and opens the door. She enters the room and closes the door behind her. She walks closer to the bed he is lying on and clears her throat. “Hello, Kiran. I see you are back in Zaofu.” Kuvira speaks and her voice startles Kiran, making him jump and open his eyes.</p><p>“Kuvira, what are you doing here?” He stumbles over his words as he is met by Kuvira’s darkened eyes and slightly sits up.</p><p>She walks over him and pushes him down, placing her hand on the wall behind the bed and leaning against it. “Well, you see, your sister is my friend and I care about her. So, when I heard that you had hurt her, I got pretty mad,” she speaks with a steady, cold voice and has her eyes pierced into his soul. He swallows nervously and tries to sink deeper into the pillow. “If you want to keep your job, I suggest that you will never look at your sister again, you will never talk to her again or work in her sector. Got it?”</p><p>Kiran lets out a nervous laughter. “And who are you to tell me what to do?” He tries to sound convincing but fails enormously when he almost chokes on the last two words.</p><p>A grin forces its way to Kuvira’s lips, and she leans closer to his face. “I have power in this damn city. If I want you out, I’ll get you out,” she whispers.</p><p>“Fine. I won’t look at her, talk to her or work in her sector, got it.” Kiran panics and agrees to everything Kuvira demands.</p><p>She straightens her back and chuckles. “That is good to hear. It was nice talking to you, bye,” she says, roughly pats his shoulder, making him flinch in pain and then walking out of the room with her head held high. She is proud of herself, as she got to see a man fear her right in front of her own eyes.</p><p>“Stay put, please,” Kya cries as Y/n keeps pushing her away. Kya puts down the water and brings her hands to her hips. “Hey, listen, I know you don’t want to accept the fact that you need help, but if I’m going to be honest, you’re just being a brat now and I want to help you.”</p><p>“I never asked for your help. I brought this to myself, I might as well suffer the consequences,” Y/n argues back and turns her head to the side. She notices that Kuvira walks in the room and she is already looking confused as she doesn’t really know what is going on.</p><p>Kya sighs and brings her hand to her forehead. “You think you deserve pain because you have a brother who doesn’t know how to control himself? Seriously?” She mocks Y/n’s way of thinking and shakes her head.</p><p>“There’s more… Please just go home. I’ll be fine,” she begs.</p><p>Kuvira walks to Y/n’s side and takes her hand and holds onto it tightly. “I am not going to leave you alone with that freak right next door,” she declares and everyone in the room gets silent and all of the attention is now on Kuvira. “I’ll stay here for the night, you two go home,” she adds.</p><p>“Are you sure?” Kya asks.</p><p>Kuvira smiles gently and nods her head. “Yes, I’ll call Suyin from here,” she reassures.</p><p>“Thank you Kuvira. I’ll come by tomorrow morning,” Sachin thanks Kuvira.</p><p>“Anything for her,” she whispers and looks down at Y/n, who can barely keep her eyes open.</p><p>Kya and Sachin leave the room and the hospital and Kuvira is left alone with Y/n. She can’t get her eyes off of the woman. The bruises and cuts that go from her head to her legs break Kuvira and she is saddened that Y/n didn’t want Kya to treat her but to leave her in pain.</p><p>“You didn’t have to stay, you know that?” Y/n suddenly speaks up and opens her eyes to look up at Kuvira.</p><p>Kuvira chuckles and shakes her head. “Yeah, but I wanted to. Now move over, I am not going to sleep in that stupid chair,” she says and is already getting ready to get on the bed.</p><p>“Geez, go at least get yourself your own pillow and blanket,” Y/n groans and pushes Kuvira away, wrapping her blanket tighter around herself.</p><p>“Fine.” Kuvira rolls her eyes and walks out of the room, walking back in within a few minutes with a blanket and a pillow in her arms. She shuts down the lights, leaving a desk lamp on. “Now move over,” she demands. Y/n sighs and moves to the other side of the bed and shivers when her body touches the cold side of the bed.</p><p>Kuvira kicks her boots off and then places her pillow on the bed, right next to Y/n’s pillow. She then jumps in and lies down on her side and supports her head with her hand as she looks at the woman beside her.</p><p>Y/n looks down at Kuvira. “You know they can get you an extra bed if you just ask,” she tries one more time to get Kuvira out of the bed, but she is met with Kuvira’s confused look as she pulls the blanket up.</p><p>“How do you know that?” Kuvira asks.</p><p>“I have spent quite a lot of time here. My parents have stayed here for nights, even Aiwei once spent a night here,” Y/n explains. Kuvira hums and nods as an answer and then lets her head sink into the pillow. She swings her hand casually and then wraps her arm around Y/n’s arm, pulling her down.</p><p>“Whatever, shut up,” she mumbles and closes her eyes.</p><p>Y/n sighs and lies down. She slightly turns her head to look at Kuvira, who has the most peaceful look on her face she has ever seen. A few strands of hair are out of her braid and fallen on her face. Y/n can’t help herself but to brush those few strands behind Kuvira’s ear, making Kuvira slightly open her eyes and look at Y/n. She grins and grabs her hand. “Sleep.”</p><p>“Ok, ok,” Y/n panics and lies down to her side, facing Kuvira. They look at each other and Y/n cracks into a smile.</p><p>“Good night,” Kuvira whispers. Y/n notices that Kuvira is still holding onto her hand and she can feel her face get hot. She is glad that Kuvira can’t see the blushing since the light is coming from behind her back.</p><p>She looks at Kuvira’s eyes one more time and chuckles. “Good night.”</p><p>Kuvira snuggles herself closer to Y/n and rests her head on her shoulder, shutting her eyes and briefly sighing before falling asleep within the warmth of Y/n’s body against hers.</p>
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<a name="section0017"><h2>17. Chapter 17</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>A little bonus chapter for today. Sorry if it makes zero sense &lt;3</p><p>Last time edited: 18.2.2021</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>The thought of Kuvira’s body against hers is the one thing that stops her from falling asleep. Every single time she is on the verge to enter the world of dreams, all of the senses in her body heighten and she can feel and hear everything ten times more sensitively than usual. She can feel Kuvira’s breath on her shoulder, she can hear her steady, calm breathing, she can feel Kuvira’s skin against hers, she can feel Kuvira’s hair tickling her forehead. She can feel, how Kuvira’s strong arms are wrapped around her arm and carefully pulling it closer to her chest, meaning she can feel as her chest rises when she breathes. Spirits, everything has to do something with her breathing.</p><p>She slightly turns her head to look at the woman sleeping beside her. Like she noted before, her breathing has a calm, steady rhythm and her chest rises every time she inhales. Her facial expression is the calmest she has ever seen her and now that she is looking at her from up-close, she notices all the small details on her face. Like the small, but rather noticeable wrinkles around the corners of her eyes. She is too young to have wrinkles, but she likes to assume that they are from smiling and laughing.</p><p>A smile curves on her lips, as she keeps examining Kuvira’s face. Her skin isn’t flawless, but it’s close enough. She probably has an insanely strict skin-care routine, it is probably simple, but strict. And she probably likes to hold onto it and the thought of staying here for the night probably meant that she had to give up on her precious routine.</p><p>She notices a few small scars here and there and her assumption on them is that they came from training and sparring with overly proud opponents, who weren’t afraid to play dirty to win, since they didn’t want to lose to a girl. She can’t help herself but to reach her hand and touch the corner of her left eyebrow. She runs her fingers over the small cut that goes along the lines of her brow and a few strands of hair come to her way. She gently brushes them behind Kuvira’s ear and returns her fingers to run over the small cut.</p><p>She lets out a sigh and rests her hand on Kuvira’s cheek. It’s warm and soft. She gently rubs it with her thumb and sinks her head deeper into the pillow beneath her head as she admires Kuvira and her perfectly shaped face. She doesn’t want to accidentally wake her up, so she pulls her hand away. She looks down at her left arm. Kuvira is resting her head on her shoulder and her arms are wrapped around hers, pulling it closer to her chest. Her arm is feeling numb, but she couldn’t care less. As long as she can look at Kuvira like this she’ll do anything.</p><p>With a shaky exhale she turns her face towards the ceiling. She closes her eyes and imagines herself lying on a flower field, this time the Sun is beginning to rise, and the stars are slowly fading away, going asleep into the horizon with the Moon and greeting the Sun on their way. The wind is cold as the breeze flows through the field and slowly dances around with the flowers, gently bending them to left and right, back, and forth.</p><p>She is looking up at the sky. It is a beautiful color of dark blue that subtly changes to the shade of purple and then to peach, as the Sun starts to peek far from the horizon, warming up everything and bringing color all over Earth. She looks at the woman lying beside her, a gorgeous view that she is. Her tan skin is caressed by the warm glow of the Sun and her black, silky face is framing her face, highlighting her sharpest features. Her lips are slightly parted, as she is amazed by the sky changing colors and night turning into a day.</p><p>Kuvira notices the other woman staring at her, so she turns her head to face her. She smiles and reaches her hand towards her. “What are you looking at?” She laughs and places her hand over her head, her palm gently resting on her forehead. “You know that staring is impolite?” She reminds and grins.</p><p>But she can’t answer anything. She is so caught up in her breath-taking green eyes that words don’t come out. The only thing she is able to do is reach out her own hand towards the woman and place it on her cheek, gently. A shaking breath of air exhales through her mouth, as she keeps her eyes locked with Kuvira.</p><p>“Say something,” she begs and slides her down her head to her shoulder and squeezes it. “I want you to say something.”</p><p>She opens her mouth, but nothing comes out. A tear rolls down Kuvira’s cheek. “I am sorry,” she is able to whisper. She wipes the tear away from Kuvira’s cheek with her thumb. She slowly runs her fingers through her hair, towards the behind of her head and when she reaches the right spot, she gently pulls Kuvira to her chest and wraps her arms around her head.</p><p>Kuvira rests her head against her chest and wraps her arms around her torso, their bodies aligning. A wave of warmth goes through them, as they lie on the flower field, holding onto each other, happy to have the other one in their arms as the sun keeps rising, welcoming a new day to come.</p><p>She opens her eyes and looks up at the ceiling. Tears fall down her cheeks and a smile arches over her trembling lips. She gasps for air and brings her hand to her mouth, trying to cover the whimpers. With a shaking voice, she is able to whisper, “I wish that to happen.”</p>
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<a name="section0018"><h2>18. Chapter 18</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>Trigger warning: Mentions of scars, self harm and death</p><p>Last time edited: 18.2.2021</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>“Oh boy! You won’t believe what just happened-” Sachin is already at the hospital, just a few moments after the domes opened up and let the Sun let people know that morning has arrived. But when he opens the door to Y/n’s room, he notices the two women sleeping in the same bed, Kuvira hugging Y/n. He is left speechless, as he tries to understand what is going on. He slowly slides his hand on the wall and puts the lights on, making Y/n groan and squeeze her eyes.</p><p>When she finally opens her eyes, she meets Sachin’s widened, shocked eyes. His eyes travel to Kuvira, who is still very much asleep and then back to Y/n. At first Y/n doesn’t understand what is wrong, but then she looks at Kuvira and realizes that she is still hugging her arm and resting her head on her shoulder, only this time a little closer to her chest. After the realization hits, she sits up and slowly pulls her arm away, waking Kuvira up. She covers her face with her hands and tries to hide the blushing. Sachin already noticed it.</p><p>“Ok, I don’t know if I want to know what happened after I left but… Uh here is some breakfast that I picked up for us,” Sachin mumbles as he closes the door behind him and puts down the food. He keeps eyeing the two women and shakes his head. “You know that she could’ve just gotten an extra bed?”</p><p>Kuvira sits up and rubs her eyes, before sighing and looking across the room at Sachin. “Listen, it’s really cold at night and your friend right here is a human radiator,” Kuvira mumbles with her husky morning voice and points at the woman beside her. Her voice sends shivers down Y/n’s spine and she clears her throat.</p><p>“She didn’t give me a choice. She just snuggled in,” Y/n defends herself and stretches out her arms but the bruises from yesterday remind themselves and her body twitches in pain. She wraps her arms around her torso and groans.</p><p>“You should’ve let Kya heal you,” Kuvira comments and rolls her eyes, as the woman rubs her ribs and slightly raises the hem of her shirt to check on the wounds. Kuvira’s eyes follow Y/n’s hands and she sees the wounds. They are deep and wide, mostly healed. They will leave scars for sure.</p><p>“Yeah, yeah shut up. You love to be such a smart-ass, don’t you?” Y/n fires back and looks at Kuvira through her eyebrows. She then turns to look at Sachin, who is just standing there, not really knowing what to do. “Ok what did you bring us?”</p><p>His face lightens up when Y/n mentions the food. He digs the bag and pulls out a few vegetable wraps. “I know you love these!” He says as he hands out the food for Y/n and Kuvira.</p><p>“Oh my, I don’t even remember when was the last time I ate these. Are they from the little shop near the pharmacy?” Y/n asks as she is opening the wrap and already shoving it down her throat.</p><p>Sachin crosses his arms across his chest and chuckles. “Yeah, they are. I thought you would want to eat something you like instead of the hospital crap.”</p><p>Kuvira carefully examines the wrap and then looks at Sachin and then Y/n. “How can you eat these? First of all, they don’t taste like anything. Second of all, they don’t even fill you up,” she questions. Y/n and Sachin glares at her with their eyebrows frowned. “Ok, sorry. I’m just <strong>saying</strong> that there are better options out there,” she mumbles and bites the wrap, as she tries to avoid the death stares.</p><p>“You know I am vegetarian, right? Even Suyin knows it!” Y/n throws her hands into the air as she talks to Kuvira.</p><p>Kuvira swallows nervously and clears her throat. “You- You are?” She stutters and is already preparing to get hit by a pillow that Y/n is reaching towards.</p><p>“Seriously?! You’ve spent so much time with me, and you don’t even remember that I don’t eat meat?” Y/n swings the pillow and hits Kuvira in the head. Sachin can’t help but laugh and cover his mouth with his hand.</p><p>“Sorry! Can you tell what’s <em>my</em> favorite food then?” Kuvira scoffs and lifts her eyebrows.</p><p>Y/n raises her index finger, as if she is about to point out something, but then she slowly pulls her hand down and clears her throat, when she realizes that she doesn’t know the answer. Kuvira chuckles and rolls her eyes. “That’s what I thought.” She turns her head sharply towards Sachin, who is laughing at the two bickering. “What are you laughing at? What’s your favorite food then?” She inquires.</p><p>Kuvira’s words had come out in a harsh way and they startled Sachin. He slightly jumps and holds tightly onto his wrap. “Oh. Uh my favorite food? Cabbage soup? Or the noodles? Yeah, definitely the noodles, they are amazing,” he stumbles over his words as he scratches the back of his neck nervously and avoids Kuvira’s eyes.</p><p>“So, you’re a vegetarian too?” Kuvira asks another question.</p><p>“Well, no, but I enjoy a lot of vegetarian food. I mainly eat them because of Y/n. I used to spend a lot of time at her parents’ place and they are vegetarian too, so I just ate whatever they gave me. It has just stuck with me,” he explains and then takes a huge bite off the wrap.</p><p>Kuvira looks at Y/n and nods her head. “I see that your parents have managed to manipulate Sachin into the world of vegetarian food. Let’s hope they don’t do the same to me. I love dumplings too much.”</p><p>“You know, they have a vegetarian version of dumpli-” Before Y/n can finish her sentence, this time Kuvira swings the pillow and hits her right in the face, making her fall on her back.</p><p>“And who loves to be a smart-ass now?” Kuvira smirks and rolls her eyes.</p><p>After Y/n recovers from the hit she sits up and ruffles her already messed up hair. Sachin irks when he sees all of the tangles in her hair and he can’t take it anymore. “Please, stop it! Let me brush it and braid it so that it doesn’t get that messy!” He cries and puts down the wrap so that he can bring his hands to his face.</p><p>Y/n looks up at her friend and lets out a heavy sigh. “Fine! But don’t pull it too hard, you know that it hurts like a mother,” she gives in right away, knowing that Sachin will never let this go and he would go on until she would have to give in.</p><p>He casually pulls out a brush and some hair bands out of his bag, like they are some every-day items he uses on his short hair. Y/n turns her back to him, now facing Kuvira. Sachin starts working on her hair and pulls all of the strands behind her back. “So, Kya told me last night that you are going to leave in a week. Are you completely sure that it is safe for you to go?” Sachin breaks the moment of silence.</p><p>“That is why we are leaving in a week. Kya will do check-ups on me and we’ll make sure that everything is fine before we leave.” She lets her head fall backwards to look up at her friend. She smiles at him and leans back to rest her head on his stomach. “Don’t worry, I’ll be fine. I have Kuvira with me and we have all of my medicines with me just in case something happens. And once we get to Republic City, Kya will do yet another check up on me.”</p><p>He looks down at Y/n and places his hands on her cheeks, cupping them. He leans closer to her face and looks at her eyes. “Fine. But if something happens, just remember these words: I told you so,” he whispers and then pulls her head back up, so that he can continue working on her hair.</p><p>Kuvira looks up at Sachin. “I promise to take care of her. I won’t let anything bad happen to her,” she reassures and when the man looks at her, she gives her a subtle smile. He returns her a smile, but it fades away as he brings his eyes back to Y/n’s mess of a hair. Kuvira’s eyes fall from Sachin to Y/n, who is playing with the hem of her shirt, obviously nervous about something. Kuvira looks at her playing with the fabric, before she slowly reaches her hand out and places it over her hands, stopping her. “Are you ok?”</p><p>Y/n looks up at Kuvira and sighs, turning her face to the other direction. She bites the inside of her lower lip and slightly glances back at Kuvira. “Can you leave me and Sachin for a moment? I want to talk to him about… You know,” she struggles with her words and swallows nervously, thinking whether or not this is the right thing and that maybe she should just take back what she said.</p><p>But Kuvira looks at her with a smile on her face, nods and gets off the bed. She puts on her boots and leaves the room, closing the door behind her.</p><p>Sachin places his hands on Y/n’s shoulders and pulls her back, against his stomach. He doesn’t say anything, as he gently wraps his arms around the woman and sighs.</p><p>“Sachin, I want you to promise me that you don’t start yelling at me or scold me. Do you promise that?” She asks with a shaking voice and tilts her head backwards, so that she can see his facial expressions.</p><p>He looks down at her and has a confused look on his face. “Well, it depends on what you’re going to tell me.”</p><p>“Just promise me first, ok?” She begs.</p><p>“Alright, I promise.”</p><p>She nods her head slightly and faces forward, leaning her back and head against Sachin. “I really am sorry that I never brought this up any earlier. But the thing is, I haven’t been doing so well lately. And by lately, I mean the past year, especially the past few months,” she starts out and is back with playing with the fabric of her shirt. She lets out a shaky sigh and closes her eyes. “I hurt myself, because I thought I was going to die, and I didn’t want to die because I was sick. If I was going to die, it was going to be by my hand.”</p><p>Before she can continue any further, Sachin places his right hand under Y/n’s chin and tilts her head, so that he can look at her. “I don’t need to hear more. I can feel that you are uncomfortable when talking about this. Save yourself. I don’t know what you’ve had to go through, and I don’t care what you’ve done to yourself. I am not going to judge you. I love you, okay? You’re my best friend and I am just glad that you let me know. I will always be here, if you need anything,” he whispers and leans down to gently press his lips against her hairline. He closes his eyes, and a few tears fall down his cheeks.</p><p>Y/n can’t hold it in anymore and she breaks down too. She holds onto Sachin’s arms that are around her neck and she pulls him closer. “I love you too,” she whimpers and closes her eyes.</p><p>They stay like that for a moment without saying a word, only silent sobs and gasps for air fill the room. At some point Sachin moves his hands to wipe the tears off his cheeks. He then grabs the brush and the hair bands, continuing to work on Y/n’s hair. “Did you tell Kuvira before me?” He inquires, breaking the silence in the room.</p><p>“Yeah. But it was after she saw the scars and she wouldn’t stop asking about them,” she explains.</p><p>“But you told her before me. We’ve known each other for fifteen years. You and Kuvira have known each other for like two weeks or something. And she deserves to hear that kind of things about you right away?” He mumbles.</p><p>“Don’t be mad at me about this. She is my friend too. Yes, we’ve known each other for only a short amount of time but it doesn’t feel like that. She has grown really close to me, just like the other Beifong kids,” Y/n tries to defend herself.</p><p>Sachin finishes the braid and then walks to the other side of the bed to face his friend. He crosses his arms across his chest and frowns his eyebrows. “Just because you have a crush on someone doesn’t mean you have to tell them everything!”</p><p>Y/n’s eyes widen and her eyebrows frown, as she tries to process what Sachin just told her. “I don’t have a crush on Kuvira! She’s my friend, who literally saved me. If I hadn’t talked to her, I might actually be dead by now. Is that what you want?!” She snaps and clenches her fists.</p><p>“Of course not, but I’m just saying, you clearly like her and I think you should tone it down. I don’t want you to get hurt if this doesn’t turn out the way you want it to,” he calms down his voice and sits on the bed, leaning closer to his friend. “You can admit it, ok? I know your last relationship got you into a lot of trouble and you got really badly hurt. I know you don’t want to admit your feelings, but it’s ok. I’m just saying, maybe she isn’t the right person for you.”</p><p>“Who are you to tell me who is the right person for me and who is not? Your dates have been just as bad as mine. Your taste in men sucks, sorry to break it to you,” she mumbles back at him and looks down. “I don’t have a crush on her, ok? She’s just a friend.” She closes her eyes for a moment and sighs.</p><p>Sachin looks at his friend and ponders what he should say. “I think it’s obvious that we both have a terrible taste when it comes to our dates,” he points out, trying to release the tension in the room.</p><p>Y/n chuckles and shakes her head. “Yeah. It’s pretty obvious. How do you always end up with the men that literally break your heart and I end up with women and end up getting beaten up?</p><p>“Nah don’t ask me. I actually came here this early to tell you about Junjie,” he remembers, and a crooked smile finds its way to his lips. “He came to my apartment last night, after I got home. Imagine, he had to deal with Ozai. And he got along with him perfectly!” He throws his hands around as he explains what happened yesterday.</p><p>“Wow, I might as well let him babysit Ozai in the future,” Y/n comments.</p><p>“Yes, please do. But the thing is, he spent the night at my place. And we uh…” He stops and looks down. He bites his lower lip and laughs nervously.</p><p>Y/n’s eyes widen, and her jaw drops to the floor. “You what? No way! NO WAY! Tell me everything! Now!” She demands and gets closer to him.</p><p>“Nothing like <em>that</em> happened but we did sleep in the same bed and cuddle. Actually, in the same way you and Kuvira slept. Except I was the one who was hugging the other one’s arm but whatever,” he explains the rest of the story and flicks his hand casually.</p><p>“I hope you and Kuvira know that our arms do indeed grow numb. It’s not a funny feeling, ok.” She looks at him with a grin and chuckles. “But how did you and Junjie meet? Is he at the university too?”</p><p>Sachin shakes his head. “No, he actually works at the market, he sells vegetables with his parents. They are old so he’s just helping around. But he has a sister, so he doesn’t have to be there all the time… Meaning I get him all to myself sometimes,” he giggles and claps his hands out of excitement. “He’s so handsome! I don’t understand how someone can look like that. He has the most gorgeous eyes and-”</p><p>“Yeah, shut up. Rub it in the face even more,” Y/n interrupts and slaps his leg. He winces and starts rubbing his leg, over exaggerating the pain. “You’re such a baby! That definitely didn’t hurt.”</p><p>“How can you know that? What if I end up in the hospital bed next to Kiran? Huh?” He argues back and crosses his arms. “I mean he definitely deserved it but still.”</p><p>Y/n rolls her eyes and throws her legs over the edge of the bed and slowly slides down, until her feet touch the cold floor. She curls her toes and shivers out of cold. She supports herself by holding onto the bed as she stands up. Her face twists in pain and she closes her eyes, her breathing shortens, and she wraps her other arm around her torso. She groans and whimpers as she takes her first step. Yep, she should’ve let Kya treat her, she realizes it now.</p><p>Sachin stands up and approaches Y/n but doesn’t get too close. “Do you need help?” He quietly asks. He is ready to reach his hand to her, but she shakes her head and straightens her back. She squeezes her eyes shut and clenches her teeth to keep the groans inside. “Should I get the nurse?”</p><p>“No. I’ll be fine. I just need to let the pain go through,” she whispers with a shaky voice and looks up at Sachin. She gives him a reassuring smile and nods her head. She takes a few more steps and starts to get used to the pain. Sachin doesn’t leave her side, even when they head out of the room. He is ready to catch her if she falls.</p><p>“Where are you going?” He clears his throat and Y/n glances at him. She pushes the hospital doors open and steps outside.</p><p>She fills her lungs with the fresh air that is flowing through her sector. She takes a few more steps and is now standing in the Sun. She spreads her arms to her sides and closes her eyes, enjoying the warmth of the Sun. Sachin doesn’t really get why she always does this, but she seems genuinely happy. He wants her to be happy, so he just lets her enjoy it.</p><p>She lets her head fall back and a smile curves to her lips. She enjoys just standing in the sun, as if she is a plant.</p><p>A few moments go by and the doors behind them open. Kuvira walks out and blocks the Sun with her hand. She looks at Y/n and then Sachin. She lifts her eyebrows, asking with her facial expression what is going on.</p><p>Sachin lets out a chuckle and rolls his eyes. “She likes the Sun. She’s a little plant,” he mocks Y/n and pats her head. She opens her eyes and turns to look at him. “Angry little plant,” he keeps joking and grins.</p><p>Y/n turns too fast, the pain making her body twitch and fall forward. She holds onto Sachin’s shoulder and leans against it. “Broken little plant,” she murmurs and sighs. She rests her head against his shoulder and bites her lower lip to stop herself from starting to cry.</p><p>Sachin gently wraps his other arm around the woman hugging her and rubs her back. “It’s fine. Let’s go inside,” he comforts and supports her as they start walking towards the doors.</p><p>Kuvira holds the doors open for them and rushes behind them. “Should I call Kya? I seriously don’t want to see you in pain constantly,” she asks.</p><p>Y/n lets out a heavy sigh and after a moment she nods her head, finally agreeing that she needs help. “Go ahead. I thought I could take it but apparently I was wrong,” she mumbles an answer to the other woman. Kuvira gives her a subtle smile, before heading to the other direction, towards the counter. Sachin takes Y/n back to her room and helps her get on the bed. “I’m not a baby, you don’t have to help me.” He lets go of her arm and lifts his other eyebrow.</p><p>“Well, if you say so,” he says and shrugs his shoulders. He sits down on the chair next to the bed and crosses his legs. “You have to tell her how you feel.”</p><p>Y/n sharply turns her head towards Sachin. She frowns her eyebrows and lifts her index finger to point at him. “Shut. Up. What if she walks in?” She eyes at the open door and tries to see if Kuvira is anywhere near.</p><p>“So, you do have feelings for her?” He teases her and grins.</p><p>“No, I don’t! It’s just not very funny when you say stuff like that. What if she weirds out and tries to distance herself from me?” She looks back at her friend and sighs. “I’m just confused, ok? Obviously, she is a really nice person, but I don’t know what I feel.”</p><p>She looks down at her lap and starts once again to play with the hem of her shirt. Sachin’s eyes fall to her hands and he looks at the movement of her fingers before he leans over. He knows that she does this when she gets stressed. “I’ll stop teasing you about it. Sorry that it made you so stressed out. But you know me, I tease you about everything,” he whispers and reaches his hand towards her. He holds her hands and smiles at her, when she slightly lifts her chin to look at the man in front of her. She returns a subtle smile, but before she can say anything Kuvira walks in and closes the door behind her.</p><p>“Get your stuff, we’re going to the Beifong estate. Kya can treat you better when we get there,” she informs and is already fussing around the room, gathering her pillow and blanket to take them back where she got them.</p><p>Y/n and Sachin exchange looks and then turn to look at Kuvira. “But this is a hospital. What does she need that they don’t have here?” Sachin steps in and stands up, walking to Kuvira. He looks down at her and crosses his arms. “She can barely move. How are you going to get her to the Beifong estate, hm?”</p><p>Kuvira stops what she is doing and looks straight to Sachin’s eyes. She takes a step closer, the gap between them getting closer and closer. She lifts her chin and raises her eyebrows. “Kya needs her spirit water. We can keep a better eye on Y/n when she is at the estate and make sure that she doesn’t get hurt again. Besides, she was supposed to go back there anyway.”</p><p>“So, you guys think you know what is the best for her? You’ve known her for like two weeks. I’ve known her for fifteen years! I think she should stay here. We have real doctors here, just call Kya again and tell her to drag herself here,” Sachin argues back.</p><p>Y/n doesn’t know what she is supposed to do. Is she supposed to take sides? Or is she supposed to stay out of it and stay as neutral as possible?</p><p>“No, I never said that. But if you actually care about your friend here, like I do, then you would understand that the best option is to take her to the estate. We can keep a better eye on her, and Kya will have a peaceful environment to work at. Do you not want your friend to get better?” Kuvira tilts her head, as she questions Sachin. “Or do you want her to be in pain?”</p><p>Sachin is about to open his mouth, when Y/n throws a pillow at them, distracting the two. They turn their attention to the woman sitting on the bed. “Stop arguing! I decide what is the best for me!” She yells and slams her hands on the bed. She stares at them for a good few minutes, a silence falling upon them. “I’ll go to the estate.” She stands up and starts gathering her stuff.</p><p>Kuvira eyes at Sachin and when he looks back at her, she slightly sticks out her tongue and frowns her eyebrows. She mouths “I won” and grins. Sachin just rolls his eyes and shakes his head. “Whatever,” he mumbles.</p><p>Y/n packs her things and is ready to go. She tries to keep a straight face as she walks out of the room, even though the pain is excruciating, and it feels like someone is stabbing every single nerve in her body. She stops and looks to her left at the room, where Kiran is. “Hold on a second,” she tells Kuvira and Sachin and walks closer to the door. She holds down the handle and slightly opens the door, just enough to peek inside. Kiran is lying on the bed, his back facing her. He is still asleep. She leans against the doorframe and just looks at her brother. She wished everything wasn’t so complicated.</p><p>She closes the door and turns around to face Kuvira and Sachin. She slightly nods her head and starts walking again.</p><p>“You alright?” Kuvira asks as she walks beside her, exiting the hospital. A cold breeze messes with the loose strands of hair and she keeps pushing them off her face.</p><p>“Yeah. I just wanted to see him for the last time,” she whispers and looks up to the sky. She takes a deep breath and closes her eyes for a moment before she turns to look at Sachin. “I guess I’ll see you before we leave… But we can call?”</p><p>Sachin shrugs his shoulders and holds tightly onto his bag. “I don’t know. I need to go. See you,” he mumbles as he walks backwards to the other direction. He waves his hand before he turns around and leaves the two women standing there by themselves.</p><p>“He’s mad at me, isn’t he?” Y/n asks and looks up at Kuvira.</p><p>“Yeah, probably. Or he’s mad at me. Or he’s mad at both of us,” she throws in the options and a smirk curves to her lips as she looks down at the other woman. “Don’t worry about it too much, he seems like the type that doesn’t stay mad for a long time,” she comforts.</p><p>Y/n nods her head and turns her eyes to the man who is now further away. “Yeah, he is like that,” she sighs. They start heading towards the monorail and all the way there Y/n keeps her head down at her feet.</p><p>When they get to the monorail, they greet the guards and get inside. They sit down next to each other and Y/n leans her head against the window behind her. As the monorail starts moving, she turns her head to look at Kuvira.</p><p>“Do you think I’m a bad friend?” She suddenly asks.</p><p>Kuvira looks at the woman beside her and lifts her eyebrows. “What do you mean?”</p><p>“Sachin. I don’t know what I did to hurt him but that is all I can think about now.”</p><p>“You’re not a bad friend. He’s just upset that you came with me and didn’t stay with him. It’s understandable, he said it himself, I’ve known you for two weeks only. It’s no surprise that he got mad about it.” She tries her best to comfort her friend. Y/n turns to look outside the window. Kuvira hesitates for a moment, before she places her hand on Y/n’s forearm to draw her attention back to her eyes. “Hey, he won’t be mad at you forever. I’m sure you’ve had bigger fights during the fifteen years you’ve known each other.”</p><p>Y/n get lost in Kuvira’s soft, green eyes. She just stares at her, her lips slightly parting and butterflies filling her stomach. She doesn’t even hear Kuvira’s words, all she can think about are those beautiful eyes of hers. She bites the inside of her cheek to bring herself back to reality. She just nods her head, as if she agreed with Kuvira even though she didn’t hear a word.</p><p>Maybe she should start figuring out what she feels for her.</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>Hi and sorry for the late chapter, I've been busy with school. I changed the posting schedule, so new chapter will be updated once a week on Wednesday.<br/>For more updates, follow me on Tumblr, <strong><a href="https://kuviras-btch.tumblr.com">click here to get to my profile</a></strong></p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0019"><h2>19. Chapter 19</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Tomorrow is the day when they finally get to embark on their journey. They have everything they need: The jeep, food, money, clothes, and a tent, in case they need to stay the night while on the road and other more or less useful supplies.</p>
<p>Kuvira is still doing some last minute packings and making sure that she has everything she needs. She lays her bags on her bed and then pulls out a list. As she goes through the list, she checks everything she has and, in the end, all of the things listed are marked with a check mark and she has everything ready. She picks up the bags and places them on the floor beside her bed.</p>
<p>She sits on the edge of the bed and sighs. She is really leaving Zaofu with a girl she met three weeks ago. Is this crazy? Is she throwing her life temporarily away for a girl and her dream of an adventure? What about Baatar? Was their breakup the right thing to do?</p>
<p>She shakes her head and covers her face with her hands, resting her head against them and closing her eyes. She swallows nervously and exhales through her mouth, leaving it slightly open. “If I don’t do this now, I will never get to do this. This is my only chance.”</p>
<p>Suyin’s office doors are open, when Kuvira walks in. The older woman is sitting behind the wooden desk, going through some papers. She notices Kuvira’s presence and raises her head to look at the younger woman with a subtle smile on her face. “Kuvira, is everything alright?” She asks. Kuvira takes a few steps closer and stops when she is right in front of the desk. She sighs and her shoulders drop.</p>
<p>“Yeah. I just wanted to come and see you. I want to ask you something,” she begins and looks down at Suyin, who nods her head and puts her elbows on the desk, leaning against her hands. “Am I crazy for doing this? Am I wasting my life?”</p>
<p>“You’re not wasting your life, you’re living it,” Suyin answers shortly and then gets up from her seat. She walks to Kuvira and takes her hands to hold them. She looks deep into the younger woman’s eyes and chuckles. “Not doing this would be you wasting your life. I am sorry that I tried to deny this opportunity from you, I really am. But I want you to go and have fun. You didn’t really get to do that when you were growing up, did you?”</p>
<p>Kuvira nods her head and looks down at her feet. “You’re right. I don’t know what freedom or peace are, or what youth and long, lazy days are. I never got to experience those things,” she whispers and brings hr eyes back to Suyin. “Thank you.”</p>
<p>A smile arches to Suyin’s lips and she slides her hands up to Kuvira’s shoulders. “Do you have everything you need?”</p>
<p>“I do. I don’t know about Y/n though. She has been in the quest room all day and I haven’t seen her,” Kuvira answers and raises her eyebrows. “I hope she’s doing okay.”</p>
<p>“I am sure she is fine; we’ll see her when it’s time for dinner,” Suyin comforts the younger woman and lets go of her shoulders.</p>
<p>Kuvira turns her head to look over her shoulder at the door, before glancing at Suyin briefly. “Well, shall we go then?” She proposes and grins. Suyin gives her a nod as an answer and they start making their leave.</p>
<p>They exit the office, walking beside one another and heading down the hallways towards the dining hall.</p>
<p>For some reason, the mansion is dead silent. Not that there is ever much noise, but usually the twins are running around, chasing one another, or Baatar Sr. is messing around in his workshop and everyone can hear it.</p>
<p>But this time, it is quiet. Kuvira keeps looking around every corner she passes, trying to figure out why no one is around and why it is so quiet. She isn’t used to this type of quietness unless it’s nighttime when she likes to wander around the hallways and calming herself down.</p>
<p>“Where is everyone?” Kuvira wonders out loud and looks at Suyin.</p>
<p>The older woman shrugs her shoulders and shakes her head. “I have no idea. Maybe they are in the dining hall,” she ponders. And she isn’t wrong. When they get nearer towards the dining hall, they start hearing chatter and laughter. They exchange looks, before entering the dining hall only to see everyone already seated and the food ready in front of them.</p>
<p>When the others notice the two entering the dining hall, the room gets quiet and all the attention is on Kuvira and Suyin now.</p>
<p>“Finally, you’re here! We’ve been waiting for you for ages!” The twins gleefully yell and the smiles on their faces are so big that the corners of their mouths are almost up to their ears.</p>
<p>The women sit down, Kuvira beside Y/n and Suyin beside Baatar Sr.</p>
<p>Kuvira notices something different in Y/n. She isn’t wearing her casual robes. The outfit she is wearing is definitely not from Zaofu, Kuvira notes only based on the colors of the clothes. Kuvira leans towards the woman. “What’s up with the robes?” She asks.</p>
<p>Her question startles Y/n and she jumps slightly. She turns to look at the woman beside her and looks down at Kuvira. “What?”</p>
<p>“The robes. Or outfit. Where did you get it?”</p>
<p>Y/n looks down at her outfit. She is wearing an unusual color in Zaofu – terra rose. The normal outfits found in Zaofu and Earth Kingdom overall are usually green or yellow. So, she understands Kuvira’s question. But the colors aren’t the only thing that’s unusual. She is wearing baggy, thick pants that are a few shades darker than the top piece. And the top piece? Well, it is a long sleeved, high collared dress-like shirt that goes down to her knees and that has slits on each side. The shirt is body-tight around the upper parts of her body, but otherwise it falls down loosely from the waist.</p>
<p>She looks back at Kuvira and lifts her eyebrows. “I got it from my mom. She used to travel around the world when she was younger and she was wearing this exact outfit,” she explains while whispering and is now leaning closer to Kuvira. “She wanted me to wear this. It’s well preserved and I think it’s pretty neat. What do you think?”</p>
<p>Kuvira’s eyes wander on Y/n’s body, as she observes the outfit from up down. “I don’t know. It’s pretty but why does it have to be pink?”</p>
<p>“It’s not pink, you silly. My mom got it from Fire Nation, she just thought it was cute. And she didn’t like the Earth Kingdom colors, so she decided to try something else,” she corrects her and rolls her eyes as she chuckles at Kuvira.</p>
<p>Kuvira nods her head and hums quietly. “Ah, ok. Are you going to be wearing it on our travels?”</p>
<p>“That’s my plan.”</p>
<p>Their conversation gets interrupted, when Kya stands up from across the table and claps her hands twice.</p>
<p>“Can I get your attention please? Thank you,” she starts out and smiles as she looks around the room, making eye contact with everyone around the table. “I would like to thank all of you for your hospitality. We’ve had a lot of fun here with Lin, even though she doesn’t want to admit it. We are thankful that we got to stay here and get to know so many awesome people. If you ever come to Republic City, remember that you are always more than welcome to stay at the Air Temple Island.”</p>
<p>She sits down and turns her eyes to the woman beside her, the woman she can call her wife and whom she loves the most in the world. Lin doesn’t like to be affectionate in public, but this time she reaches out her hand and pulls Kya closer to a hug. She has a subtle smile on her face, and she rests her scarred cheek on Kya’s head. “Yes, thank you. Suyin I know we have had a lot of problems in the past and I am glad we worked them out years ago. Sure, you’re still a pain in the ass but I am glad I have my sister back.” Lin looks at her sister who slightly nods her head and smiles.</p>
<p>“We will visit Republic City once we have the chance, thank you for the offer,” Suyin thanks Kya and Lin. She turns her gaze to her left and looks at Y/n and Kuvira, who are just silently eating the food in front of them. “Are you two excited to leave tomorrow?”</p>
<p>The two women exchange looks, before turning to look at Suyin. “Yeah, we have been waiting for this for quite a while,” Kuvira speaks up and smiles.</p>
<p>“Especially me, I have been waiting for this moment for years!” Y/n adds and looks at the woman beside her. “And I am glad that I got myself a companion.”</p>
<p>They look at each other and can’t help but smile. Y/n gets lost in Kuvira’s green eyes and she doesn’t hear, when Suyin calls her name a few times. She snaps back to reality, when Kuvira waves her hand in front of her face. “Hello, earth to Y/n,” she sings and laughs at Y/n’s facial expression.</p>
<p>She turns to look back at Suyin, who slightly shakes her head and laughs. “I was just asking if you have everything you need,” Suyin repeats her question.</p>
<p>“Oh, yeah. I do have almost everything, I just need to pick up Ozai tomorrow. Sachin is sick of him already,” she answers and chuckles nervously. She can feel her face get hot, but she knows that it is useless to try to even hide it, everyone has probably seen her red face already.</p>
<p>Suyin nods her head and silently looks around the room, checking if anyone has anything to say. She turns her head one more time to the two women sitting beside each other. “Well, if you need anything, you can come to me,” she reminds and then starts eating the food in front of her.</p>
<p>The rest of the dinner goes by fast and some have already left, whereas others have stayed to talk a little longer. Y/n is talking with Opal a little aside from others. “Can you do it?” She asks and leans against the wall, crossing her arms and looking at Opal with her eyebrows raised.</p>
<p>The younger woman shrugs her shoulders and scratches the back of her neck. “I guess I can. Are you sure though?”</p>
<p>Y/n flicks her hand casually and lets out a chuckle. “Yeah, I am. Come on, let’s go,” she assures the younger one and then exits the dining hall, looking over her shoulder at Kuvira, before the wall blocks the view and she turns her head to see where she is walking.</p>
<p>Opal runs to her side and walks around the halls with Y/n. “I really like your robes. I heard you say that your mom gave them to you,” Opal points out and tries to break the silence that has fallen upon them.</p>
<p>“Thank you. And yes, my mom gave them to me. I have a green one, too. I should ask if Kuvira wants it,” she ponders and glances at the young woman beside her. “Thank you for doing this, by the way. I didn’t know anyone else who to ask.”</p>
<p>“Yeah, it’s fine. I used to cut Huan’s hair too at one point, until he wanted to try it himself. So how short do you want it?”</p>
<p>Y/n thinks for a moment and touches her hair that is currently braided. “How short are you willing to go? Maybe a pixie cut? Would it look good?” She thinks out loud.</p>
<p>Opal looks up at Y/n and then at her hair. “It would look good,” she comments while nodding her head.</p>
<p>They get to Opal’s room and Opal starts looking for her scissors and other things she needs. Y/n sits down at the chair and starts to undo her braids while looking at herself from the mirror. She has scars all over her face, especially her chin and throat, because of the fight she had with her brother. She didn’t let Kya heal her at the spot, so some of the wounds will totally leave scars. She sighs and then turns to look at Opal, who walks to her.</p>
<p>“Ready?” Opal asks and grins. Y/n looks back at the mirror and smiles. She nods her head and Opal lets out a chuckle, as she starts brushing out Y/n’s hair, before starting to cut the shoulder length locks.</p>
<p>Opal wipes the hairs off Y/n’s shoulders when she is ready and ruffles the short hair with a smile on her face. “We’re all done.”</p>
<p>Y/n raises her gaze from her lap to the mirror and she is staring at herself now. The shoulder length hair is now a short pixie cut. She leans closer to the mirror to take a better look and when she fully realizes that her hair is now short, a smile creeps to her lips and she is smiling so hard that her cheeks start hurting. She brings her hands to her hair and she plays around with it for a moment, before turning to look at Opal. “Thank you, Opal. I love it!” She says and stands up. She gently pulls the younger woman into a hug and closes her eyes.</p>
<p>“You’re welcome,” Opal chuckles and they break from the hug. “You should go show it to Kuvira.”</p>
<p>Y/n turns to the mirror again and looks at herself. “Maybe I should. I hope she likes it,” she mumbles and touches her hair before she takes a few steps towards the door. “I’ll go then. Thank you!” She says before she leaves the room and enters the quiet hallway.</p>
<p>She doesn’t have to walk for long when she reaches Kuvira’s room. She stands behind the door for a moment, hesitating, before she raises her hand and knocks on the door three times. She takes a step back and folds her hands behind her back, as she waits for the door to open.</p>
<p>And when it does open, Kuvira’s face is something Y/n would love to have a picture of. Her face is priceless, when she realizes that Y/n has short hair and her mouth is hanging open, not knowing what to say. She raises her finger, points at her the other woman’s hair and then looks straight to Y/n’s eyes.</p>
<p>“Do you like it?” She asks with a teasing tone in her voice. A smirk finds its way to her lips and she chuckles.</p>
<p>Kuvira struggles to find the right words. She does love the new look, she truly does, but she doesn’t know how to express it. “I love it,” she manages to say, and her response makes Y/n burst into a laughter. “Is that why you left with Opal?” Kuvira asks when Y/n somewhat manages to stop laughing.</p>
<p>“Yeah, she agreed to cut my hair. I’ve wanted to do it for a while now. Sachin always complains how my hair is messy so when it’s short it can’t get all tangled up,” she explains and takes a step closer to Kuvira. She looks up at the woman and chuckles as she shakes her head. “You really had the worst response ever. <em>“I love it”</em> Really? Really, Kuvira? That’s all you got?” She mocks Kuvira and pokes at her with her index finger.</p>
<p>“Sorry! I got all speechless, I didn’t know what to say,” Kuvira defends herself and grabs Y/n’s wrist, when she is about to poke her one more time. She yanks her closer and looks down at the woman, whose face is now only a finger away from her own face. Y/n inhales sharply, as she stares back at Kuvira, who has a smirk on her face. “And stop poking me. It’s annoying,” she murmurs and tilts her head slightly.</p>
<p>Y/n swallows nervously and nods her head. Kuvira lets go of her and she gets to straighten her back. She clears her throat and looks away, as she can feel her face get hotter by every second. “Uh… I also came to ask you something,” she starts out and dares to look at Kuvira again. “I have this same outfit in green. Do you want to match with me on our travels?” She asks and grins. The question must sound silly to Kuvira, why would she want to match with her?</p>
<p>“Yeah, sure. Why not. Bring it to me and we’ll see if it fits,” Kuvira agrees to it right away without a hesitation.</p>
<p>The answer baffles Y/n and now she is the one who can’t get words out of her mouth. She nods her head and scratches the back of her neck. “Ok. Yeah, I’ll get it. I’ll be back in a minute,” she stumbles over her words and starts backing up. She doesn’t want to break her eye contact with Kuvira, but at some point, she has to, and she turns around, walking away.</p>
<p>Her heart is pounding, and she brings her hands to her cheeks, yep, they are hot. She breathes through her mouth and covers her it with her palm. “Wow…”</p>
<p>Kuvira looks as Y/n disappears behind the corner. She leans against the door frame and crosses her arms across her chest. She chuckles and shakes her head as she remembers the scared look on Y/n’s face when she pulled her closer. The way her eyes widened and looked up and down between her lips and eyes. Kuvira bites her lower lip and chuckles again. “She’s so… So…”</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>Hello and sorry for the long wait! I have had really busy times at school and am really exhausted all the time, so I just haven't had the time to write. But I hope you enjoyed this chapter! :) &lt;3</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0020"><h2>20. Chapter 20</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Suyin won’t stop hovering around Y/n Kuvira as they are making their leave from the Beifong estate. “Are you sure that you have everything you need?” She worries and holds her hands close to her chest as her eyes are glued to the two women.</p>
<p>Kuvira lets out a heavy sigh and her head falls to her hands. “Suyin, please. We have everything we need, stop being so… Dramatic,” she groans and looks at the older woman.</p>
<p>“No, but do you have the portable radio with you? Do you have enough food? I can ask the chef to make you some meals so that if you have to stay the night on the road you won’t be hungry- “</p>
<p>“Suyin!” Kuvira throws her hands in the air and then lets them drop to her side. “Stop mothering us. We have everything we need. We just have to go and grab Ozai and a few more things from Y/n’s parents and we’re good to go. Right?” She finishes her sentence by turning to look at the woman beside her, who is holding in her laughter by having her hand over her mouth.</p>
<p>Y/n just keeps nodding, before she breaks into a laughter. “I am so sorry but seriously, Suyin you don’t have to worry about anything. I have Kuvira with me and if anything goes wrong, she knows what to do.”</p>
<p>Kuvira chuckles and nods her head. “Yeah, Kya gave me quite a lecture on how to treat Y/n if she gets sick or something goes wrong. I am one of your best students and probably will be the best guard Zaofu has ever seen. I if someone can handle one adventure,” she brags and crosses her arms on her chest and grins.</p>
<p>“Just promise to be careful, alright? I want both of you to come back in one piece,” Suyin states and looks at both of them with a serious look on her face, her eyebrows knitted together.</p>
<p>“We promise. Now, if you would finally let us leave, we would be able to actually embark on this journey,” Kuvira tries subtly to get Suyin to let them leave, but it seems to go waste when the rest of the family rushes outside and runs to them, Wei and Wing already having their arms open for a hug. Y/n doesn’t even hesitate a moment when she invites the two into a long, warm hug.</p>
<p>“I’ll miss you two. Please don’t do anything stupid while we are gone, ok?” She says as she pats their heads and laughs.</p>
<p>The twins take a step back and Wei flicks his hand casually and rolls his eyes. “We never do anything stupid, what are you talking about?” The only answer he gets from her is laughter. She pulls them into a one last hug and holds onto them tightly. “Come back soon, we already miss you…”</p>
<p>Baatar walks over to Kuvira and pulls her to the side. Kuvira lifts her eyebrows and glances over at the others. “What is it?” She asks when Baatar lets go of her arm.</p>
<p>He lets out a heavy sigh and brings his eyes to Kuvira’s. “I just want you to be safe, alright?” He finally speaks and Kuvira can’t help but shake her head and laugh. “I’m serious. I don’t know what I would do if something happened to you.”</p>
<p>“I’ll be fine, Baatar. You know me,” she reminds him and places her hand on his forearm. “We’ll be gone for a few months only. I’ll be back sooner than you even know,” she adds and pulls him into a hug.</p>
<p>Baatar gently wraps his arms around Kuvira’s torso and closes his eyes for a moment, just to enjoy the moment a little longer. “I’ll miss you…”</p>
<p>“And I’ll miss you, I promise to send you postcards,” Kuvira says as she departs from the hug.</p>
<p>“Postcards? Not even letters? I am offended,” Baatar jokes and crosses his arms on his chest.</p>
<p>“Come on, you know that I suck at writing letters. Postcards are fun and easy,” Kuvira defends herself and throws her hands in the air as she laughs.</p>
<p>Kuvira gets lost in Baatar’s eyes and stares at him for a minute too long. Whenever she looks at him all she can see is the man, she used to love. She thought that she’d spend the resto of her life with him. Guess everything isn’t eternal after all.</p>
<p>“Kuvira, come on, let’s go!” Y/n calls for Kuvira and waves her hands. Kuvira chuckles and nods her head when she sees how Y/n is acting. <em>She is so…</em></p>
<p>She looks at Baatar for the last time and smiles. “See you soon, Baatar.”</p>
<p>“Yeah, see you…”</p>
<p>Kuvira walks over to Y/n and casually throws her arm around the shorter one’s shoulders. She pulls Y/n closer and looks down at her. “Let’s go then,” she laughs and looks up at the others. “We certainly will not miss you guys. Enjoy your lives without us while you can,” she says and grins.</p>
<p>“If you ever need anything you just need to call- “</p>
<p>“Suyin, we know. We are leaving now, so… Bye!” Kuvira interrupts her and turns around, her arm still wrapped around Y/n’s shoulder.</p>
<p>Y/n looks behind them and waves her hand as they walk further away from the others. “Byee!”</p>
<p>She then turns to face forward and lets out a relieved sigh. “Well, now we have to go through that same process with my parents and Sachin,” she nervously laughs when she realizes that Kuvira is still holding onto her.</p>
<p>“They are a lot easier. The Beifongs can get a little overprotective sometimes,” Kuvira ponders and looks at the woman beside her. She can’t get enough of those eyes or her nose… Or her cheeks. She could stare at her for hours without getting bored.</p>
<p>Y/n looks up at her and raises her eyebrows. “You’re right. But Sachin knows how to make every goodbye last at least ten times longer than they normally would,” she warns and shakes her head. “Let’s just hope that he had a busy night with his <em>friend</em> Junjie so that he is basically half-asleep and doesn’t have any energy to actually stall our leaving any longer.”</p>
<p>“A friend, huh?” Kuvira teases and smirks. “Why haven’t I heard anything about this? I technically am Sachin’s friend after all,” she adds and holds her hands out.</p>
<p>“He likes to keep his private life to himself, which I do get. We haven’t been so lucky when it comes to dating and want to keep our relationships to ourselves until we are sure it’ll work. I found out about it quite recently too,” Y/n explains as she remember the time at the hospital when Sachin told her about Junjie. She also remembers how much he was teasing her about having a crush on Kuvira. She blushes when she thinks about it and glances at Kuvira from under her lashes. She doesn’t really know how she feels.</p>
<p>“Interesting. So how many partners have you had?”</p>
<p>“Three… All of them ended really bad. Two moved away and one cut ties with me after all the pain we had to go through…” Y/n mumbles and looks down at her feet. “But let’s not talk about exes, we are here for a new start and to have fun, right?” She changes the subject and laughs nervously.</p>
<p>Kuvira nods and smiles at the other woman. “You’re right. From now on, we will not be discussing exes.”</p>
<p>They enter the monorail, and Kuvira has to let go of Y/n. They sit next to each other and place their bags on the ground.</p>
<p>Kuvira notes that Y/n is bouncing her leg, which she never does. After a moment of hesitation she places her hand on her thigh and smiles. “Hey, it’ll be fine.”</p>
<p>Y/n nods and lets out a shaky sigh. “I know, I know. I just can’t believe that I am leaving this metal city for the first time ever in my life.”</p>
<p>Kuvira chuckles and then lets go of Y/n’s leg, as she doesn’t want to intrude her privacy too much.</p>
<p>It doesn’t take long for them to finally arrive at the sector where Y/n’s parents are working. Sachin is supposed to be there, too, with Ozai.</p>
<p>And when Y/n and Kuvira finally get to Y/n’s parents’ shop, they can see them standing outside, casually talking with each other. Y/n can’t help but smile. When Ozai notices them, he jumps off of Sachin’s shoulders and runs to the two, climbing up Y/n’s legs to get to her shoulders. He sets comfortably on her shoulders and places his small head on the crook of Y/n’s neck. “Well, hello to you too, Ozai. I missed you,” she laughs and leans her head against the fire ferret.</p>
<p>They walk to Y/n’s parents and Sachin. “You two are wearing my robes! You look lovely!” Y/n’s mother points out and admires how they are wearing matching outfits in different colors. “I was wondering if you were going to wear it on your travels. I’m glad they fit you,” she says as she examines how the robes are sitting on Y/n and Kuvira’s bodies.</p>
<p>“I thought that the casual Zaofu robes are quite unnecessary for travelling, so I offered Kuvira the other one. Now we are matching, comfortable AND good looking when travelling the world,” Y/n jokes and pokes at Kuvira’s ribs with her elbow.</p>
<p>“These are really well preserved, and beautiful too. Like your daughter said, these are way better than our casual robes,” Kuvira adds and smiles.</p>
<p>Y/n’s father takes a step forward and hands them a box. Y/n takes it and lifts her eyebrows, asking with her facial expression what’s inside the box.</p>
<p>“Just some more or less useful supplies and gadgets. Food, clothes, books… Everything,” he explains as Y/n opens the box and goes through all of the stuff that’s inside.</p>
<p>“Thank you, dad. We will probably end up needing these,” Y/n says as she puts the box down to go and hug her father. She pulls her mother into the hug too and breaths in their familiar scent. “I’ll miss you,” she whispers with devastation in her voice. She fights the tears and buries her face in her mother’s long hair.</p>
<p>“Okay not to be rude, but I am here too,” Sachin reminds everyone about his presence and Y/n can’t help but laugh at him. He always wants to be the center of attention. Y/n departs from the hug and walks over to Sachin and scoops him into a bear hug. “Ah, this is much better,” he mumbles as he wraps his arms around his best friend. He holds onto her tightly and now their lovely moment has turned into a competition to see which one can squeeze the other one tightest.</p>
<p>Sachin taps Y/n’s back three times and lets out a breathless laugh. “Okay, I guess you won,” he struggles to talk as he is out of breath. Y/n lets go of him and pats his shoulder, being proud of herself.</p>
<p>“See, I ain’t that weak! I’m slowly gaining my strength back,” she declares and flexes her biceps. Sachin buries his face into his hand and sighs.</p>
<p>“The only reason you won was because I was too afraid to crush you,” Sachin tries to explain, but is met with a hard pat on his back and laughter. “Ow!</p>
<p>“We all know you’re lying! You just don’t want to admit that you haven’t hit the gym in ages,” she mocks him and Kuvira can’t hold her laughter in any longer. “See, even Kuvira agrees with me!”</p>
<p>Sachin rolls his eyes and crosses his arms across his chest and looks away, his lips pressed together.</p>
<p>“Do you have everything you need?” Y/n’s mother asks to change the subject. She reaches her hand towards her daughter and holds onto her shoulder.</p>
<p>“Yeah, we do. The only thing we were missing was Ozai but now we have him with us. We should probably be on our way now, we need to get to Misty Palms Oasis before it starts getting dark,” Y/n explains and rubs the back of her neck, wanting to already go but not daring to tell her parents that.</p>
<p>Sachin pulls Y/n back into a hug and this time it’s not a squeezing competition, but a genuine hug. “Stay safe. And Kuvira, if anything happens to her, I will single-handedly kill you,” he threatens and points at the other woman with his index finger.</p>
<p>Kuvira holds her hands up and laughs. “I promise you, she’ll be safe,” she tries to reassure Sachin that she will not let anything happen to Y/n.</p>
<p>When Sachin is confident enough that Kuvira will take care of his best friend, he lets go of Y/n and she backs up to stand beside Kuvira.</p>
<p>Y/n’s parents don’t want their little daughter to go, but they understand that this is the best for her. She has been dreaming about an adventure for as long as they can remember and they don’t want to hold her back any longer. They want her to be free, they want her to be happy. And with Kuvira with her, they are sure that she will be safe and she’ll have a lot more fun, for sure.</p>
<p>“Well, I guess this is a goodbye then…” Y/n starts out after a moment of silence. “I will miss you guys, so much…”</p>
<p>“Hey, you’ll be back in a few months. Even though we will miss you, we know we’ll see you again,” her mother says and smiles. She and her husband hug each other as they watch Kuvira and Y/n stand in front of them, with their bags packed up and all ready to go. “But we won’t stall you any longer, you should go.”</p>
<p>“You better be ready for another hugging competition when you get back!” Sachin adds quickly, as the two are making their leave.</p>
<p>Y/n smiles wistfully and nods. “Yeah… I’ll miss you!”</p>
<p>She and Kuvira enter the monorail for the last time and now their destination is the main gates, where their jeep is waiting for them. They sit in the monorail, quiet. Kuvira notices that Y/n is now all deep in her own thoughts and doesn’t seem as happy as moments ago. But she assumes that it is because she has to leave her parents and best friend behind, after all of this time.</p>
<p>They arrive at the main gates and when they open in front of them, Y/n can’t help but admire how big the gates are. Her mouth is slightly open and her head is fallen back as she is looking up at the gate doors. On the other side of the gates is their jeep, loaded up with supplies. They toss their bags in the jeep and then Kuvira turns to look at the guards that are standing close to them.</p>
<p>“I will see you soon, gentlemen,” she says, bows and laughs. They bow to her and then turn away, closing the gates.</p>
<p>Y/n is back to her happy self, when she realizes that she is officially on the other side of the gates. She is jumping in excitement and touching the grass and just enjoying being free.</p>
<p>Kuvira leans against the jeep and shakes her head as she watches Y/n mess around. She smiles so hard that her cheeks start to hurt. She has never felt this type of happiness – she feels warm inside and she could look at her friend this way for ages. She loves to see Y/n happy, because only a month ago this girl thought she was going to die, but now she is outside the city, ready to embark on the journey she has dreamed of for so long.</p>
<p>“Come on, let’s go,” Kuvira then says after moment and hops into the vehicle. Y/n laughs and runs to the jeep and jumps in, putting her seatbelt on and leaning against the back of the seat.</p>
<p>She turns to look at Kuvira and she is smiling so widely that the corners of her mouth are probably touching her ears. “Okay, let’s go.”</p>
<p>When they finally are on the road, Y/n can’t help but close her eyes as the wind flows and blows her hair in the wind. She enjoys the warmth and laughs, as she is so happy.</p>
<p>Kuvira has to keep her eyes on the road, but she would much more prefer to watch her friend enjoy her life for the first time in ages. She loves her friend in ways she didn’t expect to love.</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>I am so sorry for the long wait!! :( I wasn't feeling so good and needed some time off. Also, school is keeping my busy as always. But I hope you enjoyed this chapter &lt;3</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0021"><h2>21. Chapter 21</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <strong>Day one: Misty Palms Oasis</strong>
</p>
<p>They will be spending their first night at the Misty Palms Oasis. It took them roughly a few hours to get there, since Y/n wanted to take a look at every other thing she saw. Kuvira didn’t mind it, she enjoyed seeing Y/n so happy and carefree.</p>
<p>“Good evening ladies, how may I help you?” The front desk lady at the Misty Palms Inn asks with a smile on her face, happy to see new customers coming in.</p>
<p>Kuvira leans against the front desk, feeling a little exhausted. She wasn’t really expecting a few hours of driving to drain her out of energy the way it did. This is all new to her. “Yes please, we would take one room. For one night,” she speaks up after a brief moment and gives the lady behind the front desk a subtle smile.</p>
<p>The lady puts down the information and then looks back up at Kuvira. “And do you want it with one or two beds?” She asks another question.</p>
<p>Kuvira looks beside her, but for her surprise Y/n isn’t there anymore. She turns around, just to find the other woman staring at a wall from a close distance. She groans and turns to look at the front desk lady again. “With two beds, thank you,” she finally states.</p>
<p>The lady does the math and sets the price for the night before she hands the keys over to Kuvira. “Hope you enjoy your time here,” the lady says, after Kuvira pays. She quickly bows at the lady, before walking to Y/n and grabbing her by the arm. She pulls Y/n with her outside the building.</p>
<p>“I was looking at the wall!” Y/n cries and keeps looking back. “It was a very interesting wall. I have never seen those before,” she adds and lets out a heavy sigh.</p>
<p>“Seriously? You were looking at the wall?” Kuvira mocks and takes a long look at the woman beside her.</p>
<p>“Like I said, it was very interesting and I have never seen one of those before,” she defends herself and throws her hands in the air.</p>
<p>Kuvira holds her head in her hands and groans. She then lifts her gaze and looks down at Y/n. “A wall…” She whispers, still trying to get a hold of why on earth this woman was so fascinated by a wall.</p>
<p>Y/n steps in front of Kuvira and cups her cheeks, pulling her face closer to hers. She looks deep into the taller woman’s eyes and chuckles. “Yes, a wall,” she repeats and goes silent right after that when she realizes how close their faces actually are. Her eyes wander to Kuvira’s lips but brings them back to her eyes, not wanting to be too obvious or weird.</p>
<p>But Kuvira already caught the eye motion. Thousands of thought running through her head at the moment, but the one she chose to believe was <em>“She didn’t mean anything by it, you’re just weird for thinking she did.”</em></p>
<p>They distance themselves from each other and look away, embarrassed about the moment they shared with each other. Kuvira clears her throat and continues walking towards their room. Y/n follows after her, keeping her head down.</p>
<p>Their room isn’t big, as it is meant for two people. The beds are on each side of the room, against the walls. Only the small window lets light inside, other than that the room is rather dark and dusty. Kuvira puts her bags down on the bed she chose for herself and sits down. She wasn’t expecting to be this tired after the first day.</p>
<p>“Are you okay?” Y/n quietly asks, as she notices Kuvira holding her head in her hands.</p>
<p>“Yeah, I’m fine,” she answers and raises her head, giving Y/n a reassuring smile. “Maybe a little tired.”</p>
<p>Y/n walks to Kuvira and places her hand on her forehead. It’s warm but not too hot. “Are you feeling sick? Do you want me to get something for you?”</p>
<p>Kuvira shakes her head and pushes Y/n’s hand away. “No, I said I was fine,” she murmurs, this time she sounds more aggressive.</p>
<p>The tone of Kuvira’s voice caught Y/n off guard and she goes silent for a moment before she takes a few steps away from Kuvira, heading to the door. “I’ll go out for a moment. You can rest here,” she quickly says as she exits the room.</p>
<p>She is already gone, before Kuvira can say anything to her. This isn’t what she meant to happen. She didn’t want to make her run away. But now it’s too late undo the damage, at least that is what she thinks. She lets her head fall back into her hands and she groans. “Damn it, Kuvira, why do you always make people run away from you?” She talks to herself.</p>
<p>She is exhausted. She falls on her back and closes her eyes for a moment. On the other hand, she is glad that she is not in Zaofu anymore. She felt like she couldn’t breathe around the Beifongs – that is how miserable they made her feel and how high hopes Suyin had for her. Sure, they call Kuvira their family but she doesn’t exactly care nor feel the same way.</p>
<p>It is nice to be just… Alone.</p>
<p>Kuvira didn’t realize she had fallen asleep. But now Y/n is gently touching her shoulder, trying to be as gentle as possible with waking her up. She doesn’t want to make Kuvira mad.</p>
<p>“Did I fall asleep? What time is it?” She asks as she sits up, covering her eyes with her palm.</p>
<p>“Apparently you did,” Y/n mumbles and rubs the back of her neck. “It’s already getting dark outside. I kind of lost track of time. But I bought you some food. I didn’t know what you wanted, so I just bought the non-vegan version of dumplings. I hope that’s fine,” she explains as she shows Kuvira what she got.</p>
<p>Kuvira gets up and is about to lose her balance, but Y/n is fast enough to catch Kuvira’s arm in time. They look at each other and Kuvira is the first one to break the silence between them with a nervous laughter. “Thanks.”</p>
<p>“Do you want to go outside?” Y/n asks out of the blue and lets go of Kuvira’s arm.</p>
<p>“I mean, yeah. But it’s getting cold outside so please wear a jacket. The last thing we need is you catching the flu,” Kuvira gives in right away and the tension between them from earlier is already long forgotten.</p>
<p>Y/n’s face lights up and with a smile on her face she starts going through her bags, looking for a coat. Before she even notices, Kuvira already wraps her own jacket around Y/n’s shoulders. “I know you put them on the bottom, take my jacket,” she briefly explains.</p>
<p>“Oh… Ok,” Y/n mumbles and she can already feel her cheeks getting hotter.</p>
<p>“Ok wow I didn’t expect to be this out of breath after such a short walk. Phew, I might need to start working out,” Y/n comments as they climb up a small mountain outside Misty Palms Oasis. “But oh boy is it beautiful in here,” she adds as she finally gets a chance to look around.</p>
<p>Kuvira takes a look at Y/n and smiles, before looking at the town that is dimly lit. “Yeah, it is.”</p>
<p>Y/n feels weak, so she sits down on the ground before her legs would give out. “You okay there?” Kuvira asks as she looks down at the other woman. She sits next to her and crosses her legs.</p>
<p>“I’m totally fine. Just in the need of some exercising,” she says and chuckles. She falls on her back and looks up at the sky that is already dark enough to see the stars.</p>
<p>Kuvira follows Y/n’s example and lies down next to her. “Now when you look at your bucket list you can check off the part about looking at the stars all night,” Kuvira reminds her and turns to look at the woman beside her.</p>
<p>Y/n laughs and looks at the stars for a little longer, before turning to Kuvira. “Yeah.”</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>Hi guys!! I'm so sorry for the long wait on this chapter. I've been really busy with school and since the school year is nearing its end things can get a little hectic from time to time. Hope you understand, love you! &lt;3</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
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